Title,Contract Number,Agency,Branch,Program,Year,Phase,Award Amount,SBC,Street,Street 2,City,State,ZIP,Woman-Owned?,Minority-Owned?,HUBZone-Owned?,Contact Name,Contact Title,Contact Phone,Contact Email,Principal Investigator,PI Title,PI Phone,PI Email,Abstract
Dynamic Frequency Passive Millemeter-Wave Radiometer Based on Optical Up-Conversion,WC-133R-14-CN-0121,DOC,NOAA,SBIR,2014,2,399979.35,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,Chief Executive Officer,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Thomas Dillon,Senior Research Engineer,(302) 456-9003,dillon@phasesensitiveinc.com,"Passive microwave sensors aboard satellites provide valuable information regarding weather conditions by measuring atmospheric attenuation over a broad range of frequencies from 0-200 GHz. Additional ground-based sensors are desirable to provide complementary upward looking measurements that can be used to refine existing attenuation models. Operating over such a large bandwidth, however, places significant demands on the receiver architecture; a common approach to this challenge involves channelizing the receiver for each frequency band of interest. Unfortunately, this limits the flexibility of the system and finding components that can operate at these higher frequencies is challenging. The approach is taken by Phase Sensitive Innovations involves conversion of the collected radio frequency signals to optical frequencies, where these signals are relatively narrowband and can be processed using conventional photonic components. Optical up-conversion is accomplished using our own high speed (up to 300 GHz) lithium niobate phase modulators acting as broadband mixers. Subsequently an optical heterodyne mixer is used to tune the receiver and bring the desired frequency signals to baseband for detection. Such an approach offers significant advantages in terms of overall simplicity of the receiver design and the ability to operate efficiently at high frequencies up to and exceeding 200 GHz."
"Ruggedized, Ultra-Compact, High Dynamic Range, Dual-Output Wideband Electro-Optic Modulator",N68335-14-C-0412,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2014,1,79983.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Thomas Dillon,Senior Engineer,(302) 456-9003,dillon@phasesensitiveinc.com,"In this SBIR effort we will develop and analyze (Phase I) a new design and packaging approach for an ultra-compact, dual-output wideband Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) for low noise figure (NF) and high dynamic range radio-frequency (RF) photonic link applications. We will provide (Phase I) experimental proof-of-concept of the proposed device by tailoring our current 100GHz MZM product. In Phase II, we will optimize the modulator and package design based on Phase I experimental results, and fabricate, package and characterize the modulator prototype to meet the design specifications. Special attention will be given to testing the hermetically sealed modulator package under extreme environment following guidelines of DOD test standards. The demand of such a compact dual-output electro-optical (EO) modulator arose from the recent progress in various RF photonic link systems using balanced detection scheme to achieve short noise limited NF performance and modulation OIP3 limited spurious free dynamic range (SFDR). PSI has a unique background to perform this work based on over 10 years""experiences in developing high-speed (up to 300GHz) lithium niobate (LN) modulators and recent success in packaging high-power MUTC PDs that have been employed to realize positive link gain up to 30GHz."
"Corrosion Identification, Removal and Cleaning of Galvanic Couples in Difficult to Access Areas",FA8117-14-C-0009,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2014,1,149999.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Director of Proposals and Contracts,(302) 998-1116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,(302) 998-1116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. details the development of a fully integrated laser ultrasound visualization and laser ablation tool for corrosion identification, removal and cleaning. The key innovations of this proposal include the following: a) Hidden corrosion detections based on direct visualizations of the ultrasound propagation characteristics, b) Corrosion product removal using laser ablation, and c) The implementation of a fully integrated corrosion detection and removal tool. With such innovations, the merits of the proposed corrosion detection and removal tool include the following: a) Fully integrated, compact and portable, b) Capable of detecting hidden corrosions, c) Compatible with complex shapes, configurations and tight space constraints, d) High sensitivity and good spatial resolution, e) High throughput in both corrosion detection and removal, f) Controllable and no collateral damages, and g) Easy and safe to the operators."
Enhanced Mixed Feedstock Processing using Ionic Liquids,DE-SC0011293,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2014,1,225000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Louis DiNetta,Dr.,3029997996,ldinetta@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Researchers at JBEI have developed a pretreatment technology using ionic liquids that efficiently extracts sugars from a combination of mixed feed stocks. Any ionic liquid used for biomass pretreatment or cellulose hydrolysis by thermostable cellulose may be used. Until now, no known technology could efficiently pretreat and liberate sugars from mixed feedstock streams. The JBEI technology has been successfully demonstrated in a mixture of softwood (pine), hardwood (eucalyptus), grass (switchgrass), and agricultural (corn stover) feed stocks. In tests, sugar yield reached 0.8 mg/ml within 6 hours and 1 mg/ml after a 24 hour period. The ability to recover a higher tonnage of biomass per acre where a variety of crops are present due to intercropping, row cropping, relay cropping and similar cultivation methods has the potential to significantly lower the cost of lignocellulosic biofuel and biomaterials production. A pretreatment that is effective on a wide range of lignocellulosic feed stocks will further lower overall biorefinery costs. A key challenge associated with utilizing ionic liquids (IL) as solvents for dissolving cellulose and sugars is water management. Cellulosics and associated processing inherently introduce water into IL and this water is both strongly bound to the IL and also dramatically changes the IL solvent power. To maintain solvent power for biomass, water level in IL must be below 6%.It is this combination of properties that have lead many IL experts to state that management of water within the IL is one of the major challenges in the industry. that management of water within the IL is one of the major challenges in the industry. Compact Membrane Systems has identified a breakthrough technology related to membrane dehydration. CMS membrane dehydrators can be used to dehydrate Ionic Liquid and recycle after processing mixed biomass feed stocks to greatly improve overall economics. In Phase I we will enhance both JBEI biomass process and CMS membrane dehydrator and demonstrate process at both lab (100 ml) and pilot scale (1 liter). Strong industry interest, which is in place, will facilitate program if feasibility is demonstrated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Using a broad mixed biomass feed stock and decreasing the pre-treatment cost of cellulosic biomass makes cellulosic biofuels more economically competitive with traditional transportation fuels, which simplifies large expansion of the domestic biofuels industry. This industry expansion would create a large number of domestic jobs while simultaneously reducing dependence on foreign oils, a goal of the 2007 Independence and Security Act."
Low Cost Oxygen Enriched Air by Membrane Separation,DE-SC0011989,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2014,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Ning Shangguan,Dr.,,nshangguan@compactmembrane.com,"Oxygen enriched air (OEA) can be a valuable tool to enhance combustion processes, reduce CO2 emissions per unit of heat generated and also concentrate CO2 to enhance subsequent CO2 concentration ahead of CO2 sequestering. OEA reduces the presence of parasitic nitrogen and therefore flame temperature and associated heat transfer is higher with OEA. Studies show that using 40-50% OEA, which is the program target, reduces fuel consumption by upwards of 60%. Often, cryogenic oxygen is diluted with air to provide target OEA levels for combustion processes, however, the use of 99+% oxygen mixed with air is thermodynamically inefficient. The program hypothesis is to successfully develop facilitated transport membranes (FTM) using high flux, chemically and thermally resistant amorphous perfluoromembranes as the base matrix for FTM with addition of oxygen carriers. In Phase I we will first fabricate the target membrane structure. Then we will test both single gas (O2, N2) performance followed by mixed gas performance. Finally using this basic data we will do extensive engineering and economic evaluation to determine the cost of making 40-50% OEA by the CMS membrane process and compare it with conventional industrial processes (cryogenics, PSA, VSA) and high temperature oxygen separation membranes (based on ionic conduction in ceramic materials). Commercial Application and Other Benefit: Oxygen is one of the top five chemicals used domestically. Small to medium size furnaces, which represent approximately 40% of the nations furnaces, consume less than 5 tons/day of oxygen. These 5 tons small to medium size furnaces would be ideal for low cost 40-50% OEA. Parallel CMS preliminary studies suggest if successful this program can produce 40-50% OEA for $30/ton which is 50% less than conventional processes."
Improved Hydrogen Purification,DE-SC0004671,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2014,2,998245.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,bkelley@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Industrial hydrogen production relies primarily on natural gas and hydrocarbon feedstocks to drive the various reaction chemistries that lead to hydrogen generation. Carbon dioxide, the ultimate co- product when such feedstocks and processes are employed, necessarily becomes a major contaminant of the generated hydrogen. Thus, carbon dioxide isolation and removal is an important process step in the efficient, low cost purification and recovery of hydrogen from the intermediate reformed and synthesis gases. A new proprietary, chemically resistant and highly durable membrane being developed in this project will improve the separation efficiency and dramatically reduce energy requirements for the separation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. In the Phase I program, membranes with CO2/H2 selectivities as high as 15 were developed. When compared to both amine scrubbers and pressure swing absorption processes, the CMS membrane process has dramatically lower capital and operating costs. Costs for a typical CMS membrane system is $58/MM SCF H2 while PSA and amine scrubber costs are between $162 and $1,072 MM SCF H2 for the same 99% H2 purity. In the Phase II program CO2/H2 selectivities up to 40 have been achieved. While membranes with more than adequate selectivity have been demonstrated, there is still significant room for improvement in CO2 permeance. This program will develop a high performance (both high selectivity and high permeance), robust membrane for the purification of hydrogen. The proposed membrane will employ a novel material with a high permeability for CO2. While this material can easily be formed into a membrane, making the material thin enough to provide high CO2 permeance is much more difficult. CMS has identified a means of forming this material into a thin, high permeance membrane. This membrane fabrication method will be developed to enable fabrication of prototype membranes for pilot tests. Besides the hydrogen generation processes mentioned already, the new membrane promises to have broad application in the hydrogen economy, hydrogen processing, synthesis gas production, hydrotreating, and sulfur removal processes. Improvements in hydrogen purification and separation efficiencies and the ready isolation of a concentrated carbon dioxide co-product will have direct benefits in emissions reductions, energy independence, and carbon management."
Processing of Green Solvents,EP-D-15-004,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2014,2,300000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,John Bowser,,(302) 999-7996,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,"Solvents are valuable processing tools in the chemical and related industries used to enhance mass transfer, heat transfer and processing aids not used in the final product. Solvents are very valuable but cause significant problems with volatility and associated emissions. Manufacturing processes that utilize green technology or solvents for process improvement and reduced emissions are very desirable. This program addresses a family of green solvents that are superior to conventional solvents and have low volatility, resulting in fewer emissions problems.Compact Membrane Systems has developed an amorphous perfluoro membrane to enhance the use of these desirable green solvents. Recent developments allow working with green amorphous perfluoropolymers, specifically, the elimination of perfluoro octanoic acids (PFOA) in the synthesis of these 15 directly responsive to the EPA’s directive to eliminate PFOA surfactants.
In Phase I, Compact Membrane Systems demonstrated in laboratory scale the concept of efficiently drying ionic liquids (ILs) for reuse using a perfluorinated composite membrane as well as the economic advantage. Ionic liquids are potentially advantageous in the processing/extraction of sugars from cellulosic biomass. Sugar recovery requires mixing the IL with water. The wet ionic liquid must be dehydrated for reuse. Efficient water removal from the ionic liquid was observed despite the low driving force for water permeation. The water permeance was approximately constant over a wide range of water concentration and temperature. Permeation of the IL through the membrane is negligible, resulting in extremely high water/IL separation factors. This leads to quantitative recovery of the IL, which is critical for low-cost pretreatment of biomass.In Phase II, Compact Membrane Systems will scale up the membrane system and build a pilot test unit to demonstrate the concept in pilot scale. The membrane system and process conditions to achieve IL dehydration for recycle will be optimized. Through a long-term test, the company will demonstratesystem performance stability and resistance to process upsets such as daily startups and shutdowns. Using the pilot scale data, Compact Membrane Systems will conduct an engineering and economic analysis to highlight the economic advantage of the proposed concept versus conventional technologies suchas evaporation and will verify that the IL can still pre-treat cellulosic biomass after multiple membrane dehydration cycles.
Several organizations, including pioneers in the development and use of ionic liquids for processing biomass, are interested in partnering with Compact Membrane Systems regarding the development and implementation of methods for dewatering ionic liquids."
Enhanced Membrane System for Recovery of Water from Gas-Liquid Mixtures,NNX14CA22P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2014,1,124994.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Founder,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Kenneth Pennisi,Sr. Applications Engineer,3029997996,kpennisi@compactmembrane.com,"Gas-Liquid separation is an acute microgravity problem. Existing devices use centrifugal motion on microporous membranes to separate the two phases. Centrifugal devices consume electricity and are prone to failure. The microporous membranes easily foul and have significant water loss. Novel membrane devices are proposed. Membranes can simultaneously disengage gases from gas-liquid dispersion and degas water. Membrane is compact, lightweight and with no moving parts, consumes no electricity during gas-liquid separation and provides enhanced simplicity. Product is novel nonporous high gas flux, high temperature perfluoropolymers. Gas-liquid dispersion/solution enters module and dispersed/dissolved gases permeate through membrane. Degassed water leaves device. Degassing of water is independent of water pressure. Therefore operating at low pressure is desirable. Non-porous nature minimizes fouling. Thousands of systems have been sold over the last 10 years for degassing transformer oil. Water vapor losses are simultaneously reduced. Key innovations include development of fouling resistance high temperature hydrophobic Hollow Fiber (HF) system for degassing gas-liquid. By flowing gas-liquid feed on outside of wound HF, both gas and liquid feed are well mixed and exposed to membrane non-porous surface. Industrial partners have been established. Phase I will demonstrate gas-liquid separation and superior performance in fouling resistance and water loss compared to Microporous HF controls. Partners are positioned to actively participate in Phase II and commercialization."
De-Acidification of Feedstocks for Low Cost Biodiesel Production,2014-00376,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2014,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Kenneth Pennisi,Senior Research Advisor,302-999-7996,kpennisi@compactmembrane.com,"The United States, led by the USDA (as well as the Department of Energy) has taken major initiatives to develop renewable energy sources. Development of these renewable energy sources is desirable based on (1) reduced production of greenhouse gases and (2) reduced dependence on the volatile supply of oil from abroad. One of the cornerstones of renewable energy is biofuels and more specifically biodiesel. While the concept of using high quality feedstocks such as vegetable oil as feeds for manufacture of biodiesel is interesting, there have been significant problems. These problems include the relatively high cost of quality feedstocks such as soybean oil, and independently relatively low prices for petroleum based diesel. Low-quality feedstocks such as waste greases and inedible tallow are available at much lower price compared to that of high quality feedstocks. Also, newly developed potentially low cost algae oil typically has higher levels of free fatty acid. However, because of their higher free fatty acid content, low-quality feedstocks are less suitable for biodiesel production.Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) has identified a novel membrane separation process to reduce the feed fatty acid content of low-quality feedstocks. This novel membrane separation process will be extremely energy and capital cost efficient compared to other low-quality feedstock pre-treatment technologies. These cost savings offer significant improvement in overall economics of biodiesel production. Because of these improved economics, biodiesel will likely be competitive with the fossil fuels.In the current program, CMS will demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of reducing the free fatty acid content of low-quality feedstocks. Influence of various operating parameters on the membrane separation performance will be studied. Chemical stability and anti-fouling tendency of the proposed membranes will also be studied to demonstrate the long-term performance."
Vegetable Oil Processing with Non-Porous Polymer Membranes,2014-00579,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2014,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Andrew E. Feiring,Senior Research Advisor,302-999-7996,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,"Although conventional aqueous oil extraction which utilizes water as a solvent under atmospheric conditions has been around for a long time, it was not favored for large commercial operations because of its low oil extraction efficiency. Interest in aqueous extraction processes has been revived by increasing environmental concern about hexane which is the traditional solvent used by oilseed processors. The new technological developments such as accelerated solvent and enzyme aided water extraction methods improve oil yields and make aqueous processes economically viable as an environmentally benign cleaner alternative for oil extraction. The main limitation of aqueous extraction process is the formation of oil-in-water emulsion and its implications on downstream processing. Demulsification is one of the most critical processes associated with water extraction. Centrifugation and coalescence technology (addition of a compound that helps coalescence of oil as a continuous phase) are used to break emulsions. Centrifugation requires high energy input and the efficiency of the coalescence method tends to be low.Membrane technology can be an inexpensive and efficient alternative method for separation of oil and water phases from an emulsion. CMS has identified a low cost non-thermal process (room temperature) which can dramatically enhance separation of water from oil. Preliminary calculations suggest approximately 10-fold reduction in operating costs for the CMS membrane system. If this program is successful, we will be directly responsive to USDA & #39;s need for developing a process for using minimally or non-thermal techniques for food preservation. Since the process is low temperature with no gas-liquid interface, product degradation should be minimal and cost should be low.In this Phase I USDA SBIR, Compact Membrane Systems will work closely with Oklahoma State University to first fabricate targeted membrane modules and then demonstrate that these membrane modules can effectively remove water from wheat germ oil. Basic data from this evaluation will then be used for a preliminary economic evaluation of the drying process. Target processing costs are less than $0.01/gallon."
STTR Phase I: Integration of carbohydrate and gaseous fermentations for maximum C4 chemical yield,1346424,NSF,NSF,STTR,2014,1,225000.00,"ELCRITON, INC",15 Reads Way,Suite 106,New Castle,DE,19720-0000,No,No,No,Bryan P. Tracy,,8649215146,BryanTracy@elcriton.com,Bryan P. Tracy,,8649215146,BryanTracy@elcriton.com,"This Small Business Technology Transfer Research Phase I project aims to enhance fermentation yield of four carbon (C4) chemicals by instating mixotrophic fermentation. In order to realize the most cost effective fermentation for commodity chemical and biofuel production, the process should achieve maximum conversion of feedstock. In carbohydrate fermentations, CO2 and H2 are commonly evolved, which negatively impacts yield of desired products. We hypothesize that mixotrophic fermentation can recapture that yield loss. We define mixotrophic fermentation as the simultaneous consumption of organic and inorganic substrates. Improvements in yield from mixotrophic fermentation can be very significant. Moreover, certain clostridial organisms in theory can perform such fermentation, but relatively little is known about this. Moreover, the genetic tools to manipulate these microorganisms are underdeveloped. Consequently, this Phase I STTR will develop a genetic toolbox for these microorganisms, interrogate their ability for simultaneous substrate utilization of both carbohydrate and gas, and demonstrate the potential to produce C4 chemicals from mixotrophic fermentation. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to develop renewable and domestic chemical production and transportation fuel technologies that are cheaper, greener and more sustainable. Project outcomes, have the potential to increase product yield 10 ? 50%, which greatly reduces production-operating expense. The potential to utilize CO2 in the fermentation, minimizes the carbon footprint of the process. Lastly, process sustainability is enhanced since a greater diversity of feedstocks can be concurrently used such as complex carbohydrates, five and six carbon sugar monomers, biodiesel waste, hydrolyzed biomass, syngas, waste gas, and activated methane molecules. Overall, the project has the commercial potential to improve the triple bottom line of many chemical companies. Furthermore, this project could significantly enhance scientific and technological understanding of microbial physiology and metabolism during gas and carbohydrate fermentation."
STTR Phase I: Novel Cathode Materials for Flexible Batteries,1416944,NSF,NSF,STTR,2014,1,225000.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Hao Zhu,,3029931070,hzhu@spectrum-magnetics.com,Hao Zhu,,3029931070,hzhu@spectrum-magnetics.com,"The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the introduction of new generation energy storage devices that are mechanically strong, highly flexible, and high energy density. The proposed novel flexible cathode electrode technology holds the key to commercialize high performance flexible batteries. If successful, the proposed research program will generate critical knowledge for fabricating a high-energy and high-power cathode for flexible energy storage device. It is anticipated that the proposed cathode electrode materials may improve the energy density of current state-of-the-art flexible battery at least by a factor of 5. The significant enhancement in energy density and power density makes the proposed technology attractive to new markets where flexible batteries hav not been widely used. Additionally, the proposed technique and concept may be used for manufacturing other multifunctional materials for a wide range of different applications. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims at the development of novel flexible cathode materials for flexible electronics. Mechanical strength of flexible electrodes is the most critical property. Traditional approach to achieve mechanically strong electrodes is to deposit active materials on a flexible carbon-based substrate, while the performance of resulting electrodes strongly are affected by the active material/substrate interface, which is often hard to fabricate and control. The key innovation of the proposed research is a core-shell nano-architecture, in which a thin carbon layer is uniformly coated on the cathode nanofibers through an in-situ formation process. The core-shell nano-architecture design allows us to achieve enhanced mechanical strength, structural integrity, and electronic conductivity simultaneously. In the meantime, the employment of high voltage, high capacity cathode nanofibers as the core will ensure the high power and energy densities of resulting cathode electrodes."
Wavelength Specific Dielectric Obscurants using Electromagnetically Engineered Nanoparticles,W911SR-15-C-0002,DOD,ARMY,STTR,2014,2,999993.00,"Lumilant, Inc.","51 East Main Street, Suite 203",51 east main street suite 203b,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@lumilant.com,Ahmed Sharkawy,CTO,(302) 456-9003,sharkawy@lumilant.com,"As infrared (IR) electo-optical sensors improve in both availability and quality a strong need exists to have comparable improvements in the performance of military obscurants within the IR band. Conventional approaches for creating effective IR obscurants have relied primarily on shaped metal particles with high aspect ratios (e.g. rods, flakes)."
MicroCast: Additive Manufacturing of Metal Plus Insulator Structures with Sub-mm Features,NNX14CG55P,NASA,NASA,STTR,2014,1,119934.00,"Made in Space, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19801-2230,No,No,No,Jason Dunn,Chief Technology Officer,7278089936,jason@madeinspace.us,Jan Clawson,Aerospace Engineer,2143640157,jan@madeinspace.us,"A novel method for fabricating electronics containing both metals and polymers can be adapted to quickly and effectively produce micro-well sensors. The process revolves around creating a polymeric part through additive manufacturing, leaving voids and trace capillaries. Once the polymer structures are completed, molten metal is injected into these trace capillaries, which create a path to the voids in the printed parts. Capillary forces cause the liquid metal to wick into the capillary channels, filling the voids before solidifying. Unlike competing metal additive manufacturing techniques, the parts can be created with 100% dense metal elements that have low surface roughness and are completely compatible with the surrounding polymer.The proposed objective is to adapt the process specifically for the fabrication of the micro-well detectors required by the AdEPT mission.The overall objective of this proposal is to develop the liquid metal injection process for use with the high-resolution additive manufacturing methods made available through the UCF team, in order to allow for the creation of metal/polymer parts with sub-mm features. A further goal of the program will be to generalize the process in order to expand into other NASA projects, as well as enable a variety of commercial products."
R3DO: A Plastic Recycling System For Creating 3D Printer Feedstock On-Orbit,NNX14CM24P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2014,1,124192.00,"Made in Space, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19801-2230,No,No,No,Jason Dunn,Chief Technology Officer,7278089936,jason@madeinspace.us,Matthew Napoli,Chief Technology Officer,9097026678,matt@madeinspace.us,"An automated in-space recycling system for 3D printer feedstock will provide game-changing resupply benefits including but not limited to launch mass reduction, mission reliability increases, and decreased reliance on resupply from Earth. To bring these benefits to ISS in the near term, Made In Space proposes the further development of their unique recycling system, called R3DO, for transforming ABS plastic parts on ISS into 3D printer filament feedstock.R3DO leverages Made In Space's knowledge of the extrusion process in microgravity, which enables 3D printing in space. R3DO's patent-pending technologies designed to meet NASA ISS requirements, and include multiple unique innovations such as filament use in microgravity, the low-power heating system, microgravity stabilization, material control, breaker plate migration, material-filter interactions, cooling characteristics, and safety mechanisms.Made In Space has developed and tested four prototype iterations of R3DO in the lab, to verify that the recycler is capable of recycling 3D printed material into feedstock and that that feedstock can be used with Made In Space printers. Further, Made In Space has flown one of these prototypes on several microgravity flights to verify that it is capable of recycling ABS plastic and extruding feedstock in microgravity. Feedstock extruded in microgravity was then used to successfully print parts using Made In Space 3D printers.For Phase 1 development, Made In Space will conduct a feasibility study and create a bench-top proof of concept of the full ISS system, based on the aforementioned prototypes, with a planned Technology Readiness Level (""TRL"") of 5. Phase 2 will produce an Engineering Test Unit and accumulate data at TRL 6, and Phase 3 will feature the manufacturing of a Flight Unit, integration with the ISS and commercial applications, demonstrating TRL 9."
Late Award - Advanced Hybrid Water-Heater using ECC,DE-SC0009636,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2014,2,999680.00,Xergy Incorporated,105 Park Ave.,,Seaford,DE,19973-9478,No,No,No,Bamdad Bahar,Mr.,3022184279,bamdad.bahar@xergyinc.com,William Parmelee,Dr.,3022495648,william.parmelee@xergyinc.com,"The problem being addressed in this proposal is the existing extensive use of energy hungry hot water heaters in both residential and commercial building in the United States. In addition, any attempts to date to create a low energy hybrid hot water heater (HWH) have resulted in hot water heaters so loud that they cannot feasibly be used in residential applications. This project entails the development and prototyping of a hybrid hot water heater compressor which drastically reduces the energy needed to heat hot water as well as reducing the sound emitted from the hot water heater. Phase I successfully created a New (Electrochemical) Compressor suitable for a 50 gallon Hybrid Hot Water System, that is more efficient than current mechanical compressors and that is also, noiseless, vibration free, modular and scalable utilizing non-GHG refrigerant (water). The Phase II goal will be to create a High Fidelity heat pump hybrid hot water heater in conjunction with General Electric (GE) containing an Electro Chemical Compressor (ECC), allowing this unit to determine how to meet the DOE performance and cost of targets for the commercial residential electrochemical based Hybrid Hot Water Heater. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The need for this product is very clear. More than 70% of electric demand is utilized in buildings, with the U.S government reporting that approximately 15% of residential electric demand is for hot water production. Anything that will reduce that individual subunit demand will significantly reduce our total energy demand, emissions from producing electricity, and our dependence on foreign energy sources. In addition to energy conservation, this product would also reduce the use of GHG refrigerant, resulting in substantial environmental benefits. Utilizing this technology, GE could really have far-reaching positive effects on HWH market, (a) increase their share if they want to, and (b) increase the overall size of the market for Hybrid units. This is a disruptive and transformational technology that gives them an edge, they could really make a big splash and force the market to grow and for their share to increase. In addition, this compressor technology could be modified to other applications very easily and quickly for the following appliances: wine chillers, electronic cooling: basically anything that needs cooling above zero C."
STTR Phase I: Surgical Glove with Shear Thickening Fluid Textile Composites for Protection Against Needlestick Injuries,1346269,NSF,NSF,STTR,2014,1,225000.00,STF Technologies LLC,58 Darien Road,,Newark,DE,19711-2024,No,No,No,Richard D. Dombrowski,,7167995935,rddombrowski@gmail.com,Richard D. Dombrowski,,7167995935,rddombrowski@gmail.com,"This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project will demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of a puncture resistant surgical glove having areas reinforced by flexible, needle resistant nanocomposite materials made from knit textiles intercalated with shear thickening fluids (STF). STF treated textiles are a class of smart material that respond differently based on the applied stress and have proven applications in stab-resistant soft body-armor. This STTR Phase I research will advance the knowledge and understanding of flexible composite materials for needle-resistant protective equipment. Current puncture resistant materials are made from hard ceramics or stiff, woven fabrics. The novelty of this research is the use of knit substrates, which impart important flexibility as would be required for use in glove for medical professionals and others requiring significant dexterity and tactile sensation. The proposed research will further elucidate the mechanisms that lead to the unique material characteristics of nanocomposites based on shear thickening fluids. The optimization of the STF textile puncture resistant glove materials and glove design in this project will yield a cost-effective glove that offers protection against accidental needlestick injury together with the fit, feel and comfort demanded by medical professionals. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to fill a significant, unmet need for needlestick protective gloves in the billion dollar surgical glove market. There is no PPE option currently available to surgeons and nurses that protects against needlestick injury. Annually, 100-200 of these medical professionals die from infections resulting from needlestick injury. The device envisioned in this proposal will directly mitigate some of the 350,000 needlestick injuries sustained by medical professionals each year in the U.S. Prevention of these injuries has significant benefit for medical professionals as well as potential cost savings to our health care system. In addition, there are substantial benefits to patients with associated cost savings, by preventing incidental patient infection through needlestick injuries to surgeons and operating room nurses. The flexible, puncture resistant composites developed by this research will also serve as an enabling technology for advanced personal protective equipment with much broader applicability. Puncture-resistant gloves that are lightweight, flexible, and cost-effective are of great interest in markets such as law enforcement, waste handling, bioresearch, construction and industrial work."
Advanced Infrared Emitter Array (AIREA),FA2487-14-C-0196,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2014,1,150000.00,Chip Design Systems,12 Longacre Court,,Hockessin,DE,19707-,No,No,No,Fouad Kiamilev,President,(302) 494-6220,kiamilev@chipdesignsystems.com,Joshua Marks,Research Engineer,(302) 299-3170,josh.marks@chipdesignsystems.com,"ABSTRACT: We propose build Infrared LED (IRLED) scene projectors that are able to project larger than 1k by 1k imagery with maximum temperatures of 3000K, frame rates in excess of 400 Hz, and emission wavelength between 3-5 microns. We will explore the use of through-silicon-via (TSV) and silicon interposer packaging technologies to achieve that goal. We will also evaluate the performance and cost tradeoffs involved in using the established 48 um pixel pitch versus scaling down to 24um pixel pitch for both IRLED arrays and CMOS Read-In Integrated Circuits (RIICs). Our team consists of experienced IRLED fabrication experts, RIIC designers, and packaging specialists. BENEFIT: Infrared LED (IRLED) arrays represent a potentially game changing technology for presenting infrared images in sensor ground test environments offering high frame rate and high temperature simulation, while achieving superior manufacturing yield and uniformity than competing resistor array technology. The proposed work offers a significant opportunity for achieving near-term breakthrough results in making effective IRLED scene projectors by developing areas of IRLED technology that have not been previously addressed."
"Night Glow"Short Wave Infrared LED (NSLED) Image Projector Development,FA8651-14-C-0174,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2014,2,750000.00,Chip Design Systems,12 Longacre Court,,Hockessin,DE,19707-,No,No,No,Fouad Kiamilev,President,(302) 494-6220,kiamilev@chipdesignsystems.com,Rodney McGee,Research Engineer,(302) 542-6548,rtmcgee@chipdesignsystems.com,"ABSTRACT: We propose to develop and demonstrate component technologies, interfaces, and software necessary to build a prototype Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) projection system with high dynamic range and fast frame rates. More specifically, final hardware deliverables for this project include three (3) tested hybrid modules that integrate a 1024x1024 24-micron pitch SWIR LED emitter array with a matching 1024x1024 CMOS RIIC chip. These hybrids will provide laboratory capability to stimulate prototype or imaging SWIR sensors, thus enabling urgently needed development of SWIR sensor capability. Our emitter technology is based on GaInAsSb quaternary semiconductor LED arrays hybridized to CMOS read-in integrated circuits (RIIC). BENEFIT: Infrared LED (IRLED) arrays represent a potentially game changing technology for presenting infrared images in sensor ground test environments offering high frame rate and high temperature simulation, while achieving superior manufacturing yield and uniformity than competing resistor array technology. The proposed work offers a significant opportunity for achieving near-term breakthrough results in making effective IRLED scene projectors by developing areas of IRLED technology that have not been previously addressed."
A performance-improved implementation of ScaLAPACK implemented in Open Community Runtime,DE-SC0011382,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2014,1,150000.00,"ET International, Inc.",100 White Clay Center Drive,,Newark,DE,19711-5480,No,No,No,Richard Collier,Mr.,3024446684,rcollier@etinternational.com,Rishi Khan,Dr.,3027381438,rishi@etinternational.com,"Software development faces many challenges as high-performance computing (HPC) moves towards exascale: scalability, programmability, performance portability, resilience, and energy efficiency. To tackle these challenges, fundamental shifts in the basic execution models and programming models employed by HPC software are required. In particular, commonly used linear algebra libraries performance suffers due to bulk synchronization and poor data distribution. Further, they will not scale to exascale. One execution model that promises to tackle these challenges is the codelet execution model, for which Open Community Runtime (OCR) is an effective implementation that has been given particular focus within the DOE X-Stack program. We have shown that event-driven execution models can improve performance of key linear algebra functions up to 80% on clusters over the current commercial linear algebra libraries used in commercial and government scientific endeavors. In Phase I, we will implement a data distribution and scheduling framework that enables efficient asynchronous intra- and inter-function fine-grained data distribution, computation, and synchronization. We will implement the singular value decomposition function (PDGESVD) in OCR as a proof of concept of the framework. In Phase II, we will implement the other remaining functions and extend those implementations to GPUs where applicable. Although the Phase II effort will have many more functions to implement, it will be less work per function because there will be a general template and framework to follow from the Phase I effort. By providing the ScaLAPACK library in OCR, we will provide the industry with a performance- improved commonly used library. This will allow the less-experienced HPC user or developer to gain performance improvements without code changes, and it will greatly increase adoption of OCR in government, academia, and industry. Further, the techniques derived in this process can be used as a template for further performance optimizations of scientific applications."
STTR Phase I: Novel Ionization Process for Materials Characterization using Mass Spectrometry,1417124,NSF,NSF,STTR,2014,1,225000.00,"MSTM, LLC",28 Tenby Chase Dr,,Newark,DE,19711-2441,Yes,Yes,Yes,Charles N. McEwen,,3022394447,cnmcewen@gmail.com,Charles N. McEwen,,3022394447,cnmcewen@gmail.com,"The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will be to provide a new and improved molecular characterization tool to be used with mass spectrometers for applications in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, forensic, clinical, environmental, food, and material sciences. Disruptive discoveries of new ionization technology for mass spectrometry in the 1980's had a major impact on the advancement of science and fueled new business opportunities. In this proposal, new ionization technology for characterization of material using mass spectrometry is being commercialized. The ionization process converts molecules, regardless of size or volatility, to gas-phase ions without the need for high voltage or lasers used in current methods. Only the vacuum inherent with all mass spectrometers, and an appropriate small molecule matrix compound, is needed for ionization. This technology is potentially transformative providing ease-of-use, reduced cost, and reliability with high potential for advancing science through improved measurement technologies. These attributes are expected to have the greatest impact in clinical laboratories, field portable mass spectrometers, and bio-threat detection. The high sensitivity, simplicity, ease-of-use, low-cost, high-throughput capabilities and unique applications suggest high commercial potential in the $4 billion per year mass spectrometer market. This STTR Phase I project proposes to deliver a prototype ion source for mass spectrometry based a novel ionization technology that transfers small or macromolecules from solution or solid phases to gas-phase ions using only heat and/or sub-atmospheric pressure. When combined with mass spectrometry, this technology provides a simple yet powerful means of characterizing materials directly from surfaces, such as biological tissue or polymeric films, in a manner that was previously not possible. Certain small molecule compounds when mixed with minute quantities of analyte and exposed to the vacuum inherent with any mass spectrometer spontaneously produces gas-phase ions of the analyte. The knowledge achieved in fundamental studies will be applied to design, construct, and assemble a first generation multifunctional ionization platform to reproducibly introduce samples and materials to the vacuum environment for manual or high throughput analyses. Means to rapidly characterize micron size surface defects/changes in biological materials (e.g., tissue, ansd microbial communities) will be developed without a laser. The products of this endeavor will provide new methods for materials characterization which, like other new ionization technology for mass spectrometry, will result in discoveries that advance knowledge in widely divergent areas of science."
"SBIR Phase I: A new conducting, transparent, solution-processable polymer",1415171,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2014,1,150000.00,Voltaic Coatings LLC,1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711-5462,No,No,No,Bruce Chase,PhD,3023882261,chasedb@udel.edu,Bruce Chase,,3023882261,chasedb@udel.edu,"The broader impacts/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project involves the development of a variety of conducting polymers which can be solution processed into thin films with high transparency and high conductivity. These films will be used as transparent conductors in devices ranging from flexible displays to photovoltaic cells. The ease of solution processing will have an immediate impact on the overall cost of device fabrication since these new conducting polymers can be readily introduced into current manufacturing protocols in place of existing difficult-to-process, and hence high cost, materials. The lower cost of solution processing will have a significant impact on the overall cost of device fabrication resulting in significant savings for device manufacturers who are constantly striving to reduce manufacturing costs while providing order of magnitude improvements in performance for next generation devices. The use of these conducting polymers will extend beyond transparent electrodes to hole conducting layers in photovoltaic cells. This work will lead to potentially new synthetic strategies for a variety of conducting polymers with tunable solubility for reduced capital cost of fabrication and ease of processing. The benefits of these new conducting polymer films will impact device fabrication in flexible displays, photovoltaic devices and any electro-optic devices requiring both high transparency in the visible/near infrared and high conductivity. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will provide a low cost alternative for transparent conducting materials such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) and the currently used polymeric material, PEDOT:PSS. Both materials have limitations in processing and, hence, have not become widely adopted for the next generation consumer electronics. This new polymer under developed in this project has superior properties, lower production and manufacturing costs and will transform the way electronic displays, touch screens, organic lighting, and thin film solar devices are produced. This new material is estimated to provide a 50% cost savings over existing materials (ITO and PEDOT:PSS) while offering a polymer that can be customized for multiple applications."
"A high throughput, high resolution, and high sensitivity scanning X-ray fluoresce",1R43GM112413-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2014,1,224968.00,"SIGRAY, INC.","2711 CENTERVILLE RD, STE 400",,WILMINGTON,DE,19808-1645,No,No,No,Sylvia Lewis,,925-949-6958,sylvijove@gmail.com,Wenbing Yun,,925-949-6958,wyun801@gmail.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Trace elements are well known to have critical roles in a wide variety of diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Wilson's diseases. Due to their biological importance, there have been numerous studies performed with spectroscopy techniques such as laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to understand absolute concentration values in tissue. More recent developments in synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)have enabled rapid high resolution mapping of absolute concentration values, and, significantly, the quantitative distribution analysis of multiple trace elements at once. Such systems provide up to parts-per-billion sensitivity to map trace elements at micron- scale resolution in diseased tissue. We propose to develop a laboratory scanning X-ray fluorescence microprobe for the biomedical community that will make it possible for the first time to bring trace elemental mapping at the cellular level cur"
Frequency Agile Millimeter Wave (MMW) Signal Generator,N00014-13-P-1101,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2013,1,79690.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Richard Martin,COO,(302) 456-9003,martin@phasesensitiveinc.com,"PSI will leverage our extensive experience and unique capabilities in MMW photonics to design a compact, lightweight, frequency-agile MMW source combining wide, continuous, rapid tunability with superb phase noise and moderate output power. Such a source will have extensive commercial applications in next-generation wireless communications, as well as military applications including reconfigurable and covert communications and electronic warfare. Our photonic system multiplies and upconverts a low-noise, low-frequency reference signal onto an optical carrier (laser) using ultra-broadband electro-optic (EO) modulation. Modulation sidebands injection lock a second laser to a frequency offset from the first by a selectable multiple of the reference. EO modulation is both coherent and ultra-broadband, rendering the lasers mutually coherent, while oscillating at a widely tunable frequency separation. The locked lasers combine on a high-speed photodiode (PD), generating a beat tone at their frequency difference, eliminating optical phase noise. Our concept has been validated in benchtop experiments (Nature Photonics paper); in this effort we will design and specify requirements for an integrated module, based on a silicon-photonic circuit comprising laser cavities, waveguides, couplers, and filters; with hybrid III-V gain integration, packaged with a compact EO modulator, a surface-mounted photodetector, and voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to provide the reference."
Dynamic Frequency Passive Millimeter-Wave Radiometer Based on Optical Up-Conversion,WC-133R-13-CN-0082,DOC,NOAA,SBIR,2013,1,94761.70,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,John Wilson,,,,John Wilson,Senior Engineer,(302) 456-9003,jwils@udel.edu,"In the proposed effort, we will leverage this extensive experience and capabilities to realize a frequency agile mmW radiometer that can cover the range of DC-110 GHz and can be scaled to DC-200 GHz under Phase II. Ours is a photonic system that multiplies and up-coverts a low-frequency reference signal onto an optical carrier (laser) using EO modulation, then uses the modulation sidebands to injection lock a second laser to a frequency offset from the first by a selectable multiple (harmonic) of the reference. Because the EO modulation process is both (a) coherent, and (b) ultra-broadband, the second laser becomes coherent (phase-locked) to both the first laser and the reference, while oscillating at an offset from the first laser that can be quickly and easily turned over the entire mmW band. An antenna is used to collect the incident mmW energy onto another EO modulator which induces side bands onto the primary laser carrier frequency which are proportional in amplitude to the incident mmW energy. This signal is combined with the second laser on a photodiode which mixes the two signals in a homodyne detection approach. The second laser can be thermally turned to different harmonics which allows it to interrogate the primary laser signal which contains the mmW sidebands. The output at the photodiode is low pass filtered and the DC term is now proportional to the mmW energy at the frequency selected by the second laser."
Packaging High Power Photodetectors for 100 MHz to 100 GHz RF Photonic Applications,FA8650-13-M-1672,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2013,1,149691.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Thomas Dillon,Senior Engineer,(302) 456-9003,dillon@phasesensitiveinc.com,"ABSTRACT: In this SBIR effort we will develop a packaging process and demonstrate (Phase I) a prototype of high power Photodiode (PD) that has a normal incident, pigtailed fiber input and a coaxial RF output that operates from DC to>60GHz. We will apply and extend (Phase II) the aforementioned packaging process to single PD, balanced PD and array of PDs that work from DC through entire W-band. Demand of such packaging methods and processes arose from recent progress in PDs and array of PDs based on modified uni-traveling-carrier (MUTC) thin-layered structures. The speed, bandwidth, and high power of these devices generate great interests of direct RF generation in microwave photonic system for simplification, higher gain, wider dynamic range and lower Noise Figure (NF). However, performance, especially saturation photocurrent of these PDs is critically affected by the packaging material, structure and process. Therefore, developing a reliable, efficient, cost-effective and adaptable packaging approach lies on the critical path toward optical down-conversion and direct RF generation in modern microwave photonic system. Leveraging the experiences of fabricating and packaging ultra-broadband optical and millimeter-wave components, PSI has the knowledge base and unique capabilities of accomplishing this goal. BENEFIT: The potential applications for high-frequency, high-power photodiode technology and its capabilities are vast and could have a profound impact on our society. Traditionally, photodiode is made for detection of photonic input signal based on EO effects. Today, as high frequency microwave, millimeter wave and terahertz range are rapidly explored, photodiodes, especially ones with high output power, have become critical devices and indispensable ways of photonic link demodulation or high frequency signal generation. For example, Terahertz or sub-Terahertz frequencies have proven to be a powerful tool for spectroscopic measurement of far-infrared material properties for dielectrics, semiconductors, liquids and gases, etc., since most chemical compounds show very strong frequency-dependent absorption and dispersion in this frequency range. However, generation of such high frequency signal with enough power is very challenging for practical applications. Among all the solutions, optical based methods that rely on high-frequency and high-power PDs are greatly favored due to its wide bandwidth and configurability. The similar reasons, along with potential high available output power, PDs are vastly investigated and applied for Radio-on-fiber broadband wireless communications, which is propelled by the huge increase of data volume in recent years. According to Edholm""s law, the demand for point-to-point bandwidth in wireless short-range communications has doubled every 18 months over the last 25 years. It can be predicted that data rates of around 510 Gb/s will be required in ten years. Tremendous market demands of high power PDs are expected by then. A list of potential applications of high-frequency, high-power PD includes: a) Spectroscopic applications including imaging, tomography, cancer detection or genetic analysis. b) Material identification such as detection of explosives and related compounds for defense and security applications. c) Broadband short distance wireless communications. d) Broadband phased antenna arrays, radar systems and warfare systems. e) Microwave photonic link system for all-optical backbone microwave distribution. More specifically, PSI will seek and identify applications of high-frequency and high-power PDs in broadband phase array antennas and microwave photonic link system as a platform for multifunctional radar systems, where hundreds or thousands of PDs are required in a single system. To this end, packaged PD module with small size, light weight, low cost and easy-to-deploy interface not only represents an impressive leap forward in our technical capabilities but also a tremendous business opportunity. & #8195;"
Electro-Optically Guided Radar Imaging,W15P7T-13-C-A0741,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2013,1,99498.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Richard Martin,COO,(302) 456-9003,martin@phasesensitiveinc.com,"Millimeter-wave RADAR imaging holds significant promise for many applications from rotorcraft DVE mitigation to standoff security screening. A key challenge of this imaging modality, however, has been the implementation of an effective method for creating an image without relying on either mechanical scanning or expensive, high SWAP phased array techniques. Herein, we present a concept for creating a phased array RADAR system based on optical excitation and readout of conformal antenna arrays. This work builds heavily on an operational passive millimeter-wave imager designed for rotorcraft DVE mitigation that utilizes optical upconversion to sample a distributed antenna array and a demonstrated distributed transmit array that utilizes photonic techniques for the generation and phasing of millimeter-wave signals across the array. Under the proposed effort, PSI will adapt these technologies to create an all optically addressed conformal RADAR transceiver with capabilities for high speed electronically scanned image formation. Key aspects of this effort will include the development of optical sampling techniques for range binning information and phasing algorithms to maximize information gathering capabilities of the imaging RADAR."
A Compact and portable laser Ultrasound Visualization Tool for Non-destructive Evaluation of Nuclear Reactor Components,DE-FG02-13ER90709,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2013,1,225000.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Ms.,(302) 998-1116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Dr.,(302) 998-1116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"To ensure safe and reliable power production by nuclear power plants, a wide variety of materials and components need to undergo inspections and maintenances at pre-determined intervals. Condition based maintenance is highly desirable because it can potentially avoid unnecessarily costly maintenance actions and associated error induced failures. Consequently, it can help achieve nearly all the maintenance targets concerning safety, reliability and cost. To fulfill this goal, AlphaSense proposes to develop a compact and portable laser ultrasound visualization tool for non-destructive evaluation of key nuclear reactor materials and components. If successful, the proposed technology will advance the state of the art in the non- destructive evaluations of materials and components used in nuclear reactors. The proposed sensor will be a powerful quality assurance tool under both manufacturing and in-service conditions of nuclear reactor materials and components. The depolyment of the sensor in the field can significantly improve the safety of the workers and the public members near the nuclear power generation facilities by detecting defects and damages in the nuclear reactor components in an early stage."
"A Novel, Low Cost and Handheld Microwave Sensor for the Detection and Evaluation of Incipient Composite Heat Damage",N68335-13-C-0290,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2013,1,80000.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Director of Contracts&Pro,(302) 468-0548,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,(302) 998-1116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. details the development of a novel, low cost and handheld microwave sensor for the detection and evaluation of incipient composite heat damage. The merits of the proposed sensor and its advantages over other techniques are listed below: a) Compact, handheld and low cost, b) Sensitive for incipient heat damage detection, c) Capable of quantitative analysis of the incipient heat damage levels, d) Capable of interrogating through coating layers, e) High throughput measurement process, and f) Easy and safe to the operators."
"SBIR Phase I: A Compact, Low Cost and Handheld Sensor for the Detection and Quantifications of Organic Compound Contaminants in Drinking Water",1315018,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2013,1,149999.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Douglas Adolphson,,3029981116,Douglas.Adolphson@alphasense.net,Douglas Adolphson,,3029981116,Douglas.Adolphson@alphasense.net,"This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a novel chemical sensor technology for inline water quality monitoring. Currently, gas chromatography coupled mass spectroscopy is the most widely used technique for water quality analysis; however, the method is costly, time consuming, and can only be performed by well-trained personnel in a laboratory setting. To meet the market need for a portable, low-cost, and easy-to-use water analysis technology, the project will investigate a photonic sensor platform which resolves the aforementioned challenges through: 1) the development of a compact photonic sensor package consisting of an optical resonator sensor chip, a laser source, and battery power for standalone operation and field deployment; 2) the application of molecularly imprinted polymers as robust sensor coatings for highly selective molecular detection in a non-laboratory setting; and 3) the use of a pattern recognition algorithm to automatically detect and quantify individual component concentrations in a mixture. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is a portable, low-cost sensor product which meets the needs from the water quality monitoring market, a growing sector with a compounded annual growth rate of 4.6%. The implementation of chlorination disinfection systems has virtually eliminated waterborne diseases in the United States. However, disinfection byproducts pose different health risks, including reproductive endpoints, developmental defects, and cancer. If successful, the proposed sensor technology will eliminate/minimize the adverse human health effects caused by those chlorination disinfection byproducts by providing real-time water quality information. According to a recently released market research report, the global water analysis instrumentation market is projected to be $1.86 billion by 2017 with the online systems for water analysis instrumentation being predicted as the fastest growing market segment. A major limiting factor that prevents a wide market acceptance and penetration of existing online water monitoring devices is the relatively high investments involved. The proposed sensor implements the online water quality monitoring functions with mass-producible and inexpensive optical sensor elements and reusable sensor coatings. Consequently, successful demonstrations of the proposed sensor technology can facilitate a wider market acceptance and penetration of the online water quality monitoring devices."
Thin Diamond Time-of-Flight Detectors,DE-FG02-12ER90312,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2013,2,981611.00,"Applied Diamond, Inc.",3825 Lancaster Pike,,Wilmington,DE,19805-1558,No,No,No,Peter Morton,Dr.,3029991132,pete@ddk.com,Joseph Tabeling,Dr.,3029991132,joe@ddk.com,"Rare isotope facilities serve a critical need for a rapidly expanding area of nuclear physics research. Existing rare isotope facilities already provide enough intensity that conventional detector systems have trouble with counting rates while future rare isotope facilities, like the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), will provide particle beams with unprecedented intensities and rates. Clearly, a challenge exists for particle detectors which will only worsen with time. The major advantages of using diamond detectors in this application are: (i) the use of simpler water-cooled systems and greater thermal stability; (ii) faster response with low noise, capacitance, and leakage current; and (iii) much longer lifetime because of its excellent radiation hardness. CVD diamond particle detectors present an advantage over the silicon detectors currently in use because of far superior thermal and electrical properties, and radiation hardness. During Phase I, we developed several techniques for improving the electronic properties of thin, polycrystalline diamond. These improvements were followed by the successful fabrication and testing of a time-of-flight detector for NSCL. During Phase II, we will build on this work by making a large area (200mm x 20mm) focal plane detector for NSCLs fragment separator. This detector will require advanced control of diamond thickness in addition to the improved electronic properties.Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The proposed approach has the potential for a significant impact on particle accelerators used for nuclear physics experimentation around the world. The development of CVD diamond suitable for detector applications will also provide significant advances over other materials for neutron detection in oil exploration and nuclear power generation, and in beam monitoring and diagnosis in 3rd and 4th generation synchrotron facilities."
Membrane Facilitated Dimethyl Carbonate Production from Carbon Dioxide,DE-FG02-13ER90644,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2013,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Ning Shangguan,Dr.,3029997996,nshangguan@compactmembrane.com,"Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is a high value organic chemical with many potentially important applications. DMC can be made from CO2 directly or indirectly. With the development of CO2 capture and sequestration technology, huge amounts of low cost CO2 will be available as a feed stock. The conversion of CO2 to DMC will be an attractive chemical production investment. A major problem associated the DMC production from CO2 is the separation of DMC from the DMC/methanol azeotropic mixture. Currently an uneconomical high pressure distillation process has to be used to break the azeotrope. CMS will use a highly fluorinated polymer membrane. Preliminary data suggests the membrane is likely to have high methanol permeability, high methanol/DMC selectivity and high chemical resistance. With this membrane, we will have a low cost and efficient membrane assisted methanol/DMC separation system, which will significantly reduce the cost of DMC production from CO2. Our fluorinated polymer membrane can be fabricated into composite membranes having thin dense layers of amorphous fluoropolymers on porous supports. Based on this composite structure, existing manufacturing facilities can easily support the growth of a new $58,000,000 high performance membrane business. This would lead to creating 232 new jobs (at
$250,000/job). DMC is a green organic solvent which has an extremely low toxicity and pollution potential. The increased use of DMC will be good for our environment protection and the increased production of DMC from CO2 will be good for slowing the global climate change."
Enhanced Monomer (Isosorbide) Synthesis from Biomass (cellulose) Source,DE-FG02-13ER90612,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2013,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Andrew Feiring,Dr.,3029997996,afeiring@compactmembrane.com,"Monomers and other chemical intermediates are typically obtained from non-renewable resources, specifically petroleum. Renewable resources, such as plant derived biomass, may become a significant source of these critical materials but new technology is required for their safe and efficient production. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS), in collaboration with the group of Professor Robin Rogers at the University of Alabama, will develop new technology for the acid catalyzed conversion of the plant-derived sugar sorbitol to isosorbide, a diol of interest as a chemical intermediate, pharmaceutical precursor and monomer. This technology will use a combination of environmentally-desirable solvents, a newly developed polymeric strong acid catalyst and a membrane reactor to drive conversion by removal of byproduct water from the reaction zone. Commercial Application and Other Benefits: This technology will lead to better yields, faster rates, less waste and lower energy requirements. Importantly, this work will demonstrate the combination of solvent and new acid catalyst as a new platform which will be useful for many acid-catalyzed processes used in the chemical industry."
Enhanced Processing of Green Solvents,EP-D-13-038,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2013,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,John Bowser,,302-999-7996,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,"Solvents are a valuable processing tool in the chemical and related industries. Solvent are used to enhance mass transfer, heat transfer and in most cases are a processing aid and eventually are not used in the final product but to enhance the fabrication of the final product. While solvents are very valuable, they also cause a significant problem with their volatility and associated emissions.§Manufacturing processes that utilize green technology or in this case green solvents while improving processing and reducing emissions are very desirable. This program will specifically address a family of green solvents that actually are superior to conventional solvents and since they have lowvolatility do not have the emissions problems of conventional solvents. §Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has developed a novel amorphous perfluoro membrane system to enhance the use of these desirous green solvents. Recent developments at CMS with E.I. DuPont are such that we now work with green amorphous perfluoropolymers. Most specifically, we have eliminated the use of PFOA (perfluoro octanolc acids) in synthesis of these amorphous perfluoropolymers. This is an effort on CMS’s part to be greener and be directly responsive to the EPA’s directive to eliminate PFOA surfactants. §In Phase I we will first fabricate these membrane systems for enhanced processing of green solvents. Finally CMS will conduct economic evaluation of the CMS membrane system to confirm attractive process economics. While CMS has only conducted preliminary work with these green solvent, much of theneeded CMS infrastructure is in place so CMS had ability to rapidly service green solvent markets."
Novel Membrane Systems for Olefin/Paraffin Separation,DE-FG02-12ER90318,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2013,2,998364.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Kenneth Pennisi,Dr.,3029997996,kpennisi@compactmembrane.com,"Ethylene and propylene are the primary feedstocks for the manufacture of polyethylene and polypropylene, respectively. These olefins represent a major component of the polymer manufacturing cost. Consequently, there is significant economic benefit in minimizing losses of unreacted olefin from the process. Some olefin loss is a result of the need to remove paraffin from the polymerization reactor. Low concentrations of paraffin are present in the feedstock (ethane in the case of ethylene feed and propane in the case of propylene feed). The paraffin builds up in the reactor as the olefin is consumed by reaction and reactor effluent is recycled. This makes it necessary to vent some of the reaction mixture in order to limit the buildup of paraffin. The vent stream carries both paraffin and the valuable olefin. A membrane that can efficiently separate the olefin from the paraffin would provide substantial economic benefit to these polymerization processes. Membrane processes have been previously evaluated for separating ethylene/ethane or propylene/propane. In many cases, silver salt facilitating agents have been incorporated into membranes to preferentially transport ethylene or propylene. While good separations have been demonstrated in the laboratory, membrane stability problems have prevented development of commercial systems. It is proposed to combine the stability features and high gas transport of Compact Membrane Systems proprietary membranes with stable transition metal facilitating agents to create a stable facilitated transport membrane. The facilitating agents proposed in this program are resistant to deactivation through reduction reactions. Routes to adding stable transition metal transport facilitators to the polymer have been identified in Phase I. When incorporated into the membrane polymer these facilitators will enable both high permeance and high selectivity for ethylene/ethane and propylene/propane separations. In phase I, a stable transition metal transport facilitator was successfully incorporated into the polymer membrane. The facilitator was shown to be in the desired chemical form in the membrane and the membrane was shown to exhibit high olefin permeance and high olefin/paraffin selectivity with a mixture of propylene and propane. The membrane was further demonstrated to provide stable separation performance over a period of 147 hours with no measurable decrease in permeance and selectivity. In the phase II program, an alternative approach to incorporating the transport facilitator into the membrane will be investigated and facilitated membrane composition will be optimized for olefin/paraffin separation performance. The process to produce the facilitated membrane material will be scaled up to larger quantities (10x greater). A prototype membrane will be fabricated and tested for stability in extended pilot tests. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The estimated combined production of polyethylene and polypropylene by U.S. manufacturers in 2011 is about 29 million metric tons. Annual reactor vent stream losses of the olefin feedstocks are estimated to have a value of $330 million and represent an equivalent energy loss of 16 trillion Btu. The proposed membrane can drastically reduce these costs by recovering olefins from vent streams for reuse in the reactor. The processes that produce the ethylene and propylene feedstocks can also benefit from the proposed membrane."
Development of a forced air add-on attachment for rocket stoves in Kenya capable,1R43ES022870-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2013,1,240640.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,bkelley@compactmembrane.com,Andrew Feiring,,302-999-7996,afeiring@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION: Enhanced Membrane System for Supplying Quality Drinking Water Contaminants in Drinking Water: While many of the traditional waterborne diseases (cholera, typhoid) are now uncommon in the developed world, the continue to be a major cause of disease in developing countries and waterborne disease kills more people worldwide than all forms of violence. Waterborne disease outbreaks continue to occur within the US and the etiological agents vary considerably. A variety of bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and toxigenic E. coli are frequently implicated in waterborne disease outbreaks as are noroviruses and the protozoan parasites Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium. Additionally outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease are relatively common, and although these are usually not linked directly to potable water, the organisms can often be found in buildings supplied with water from municipal systems. Based on these concerns, new treatment methods or techniques are needed that increase removal ofthese contaminants from existing drinking water treatment plants. An overlying challenge is to develop an effective disinfection technology that is convenient for relatively small communities and is also easily retrofitable into existing infrastructure and space limitations. Background: Chlorine dioxide and other halogens are routinely used for oxidation. In particular, chlorine is used extensively as a disinfectant to remove organics and biological materials from drinking water. Although it has a low costand reasonable disinfecting capability, many problems are associated with chlorine. One is that it is a hazardous material that must be shipped and stored at the site where it is to be used. Another problem is chlorine's limited effectiveness in attackingcyst and spore forming organisms like Cryptosporidium and Microsporidium. Additionally, chlorine combines with natural organics like humic acid to produce carcinogens such as THMs (trihalomethanes). Chlorine is also less effective at killing viruses. Innovation: While there is significant effort to move from chlorine t enhanced oxidation chemicals (EOC) for sanitization and disinfection of water, the growth of EOC is significantly limited by the high cost of supply. To date, no one using membranes to enhance the supply of EOC can effectively reduce the major cost of supply. This program proposes for the first time significant reductions in EOC cost by the utilization of EOC resistant membranes for supplying EOC. This program will greatly enhance the utilization of EOC for water disinfection. This greater utilization of EOC will dramatically increase destruction of viruses as well as reduce the production of trihalomethanes (THM's). Product Concept: It is proposed to construct novel polymer membrane systems for the generation and use of EOC as a reagent for effecting purification with minimal environmental hazard. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) will fabricate an integrated membrane/EOC system for production of drinking water. CMS, in Phase I, will first fabricate the system and then demonstrate the destruction of appropriate contaminants (e.g. E. Coli, Enterococcus Faecalis, MS2 bacteriophage Poliovirus, Cryptosporidium parvum, Legionelle pneumophila, and Salmonella enterica plus specific chemicals, phenol, andhumic acid), Cryptosporidium or appropriate surrogate. Long term testing and appropriate forms of the membrane system will also be evaluated. Finally, economic evaluations will be completed to make sure proposed system is economically competitive. NIH: There is broad value for this product within NIH. First reduction in THM will reduce cancer. Second enhanced disinfection will reduce infectious diseases. Third it will be of value to environmental health and occupational health activities. PUBLICHEALTH RELEVANCE PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Enhanced Membrane System for Supplying Quality Drinking Water Compact Membrane Systems will develop a novel disinfection system for production of drinking water based on enhanced oxidation chemicals for sanitization and disinfection of water with minimal environmental hazard and need for non-renewable energy sources. This results in low cost and high quality drinking water from contaminated sources."
Implantable construct for architectural control of re-vascularization of ischemic,1R43ES022885-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2013,1,225000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,bkelley@compactmembrane.com,John J. Bowser,,302-999-7996,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION: Summary Enhanced Recovery of Pharmaceutical Solvent driven by EPA Initiative Recent Events: On July 6, 2011 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to establish new safeguards for hazardous secondary materialsrecycling with objectives to promote the economic, environmental, and public health benefits of recycling wastes, with an emphasis on several industrial sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry. On average, pharmaceutical manufacturers use at least 100 kg of solvents to make 1 kg of active pharmaceutical ingredient. EPA has determined that the environmental impacts from solvents used as manufacturing and processing aids could be significantly reduced if the product life of solvents used for these purposes were extended to more than a single use. By encouraging the safe recycling of wastes EPA hopes to reduce the life cycle risk of these wastes. Many of the solvents of interest to the EPA under this proposed change to the solid waste definition form mixtures with water that are difficult and/or energy-intensive to separate with conventional separation technologies such as distillation. Energy-efficient, cost effective, and otherwise non-polluting alternative technologies would make solvent recycling more feasible. The net effect of the EPA proposed safeguards is that these will strongly incentify pharmaceutical manufacturers to recycle process solvents. Specific Aim: There are numerous needs in the pharmaceutical industry to use and recover high puritysolvents. Key uses include: high purity alcohol, the ability to develop low-cost dewatering of solvents and a relative gentle and simple process for dewatering solvent under mild conditions. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) proposes a novel membrane processthat can lead to extremely high dewatering rates with high separation capabilities based on a family of chemically inert amorphous perfluoro membranes operating under a wide range (almost universal) of operating conditions. CMS's dewatering process is compatible with existing pharmaceutical solvent (PS) processing. Therefore, from a chemical stability standpoint, it can be operated with alcohols, organic acids, ketones, amines and aprotic solvents, to name a few. Since CMS membrane's high flux is based on its high free volume and perfluoro nature, there is little need for concern about chemical interaction with the species present, and the actual permeability does not change significantly with water activity. Therefore, we have a potentially universal and simple system that can work on a wide range of PS for a wide range of applications under varying water activity. To enhance the potential for universal PS dehydration, CMS will develop A) membranes with enhanced water/solvent separation and B) more resistant system which equates to more resistant porous supports. CMS has recruited a number of key companies for supplying key materials and subsequently marketing the final product. During Phase I CMS will build a dehydration system and demonstrate dehydrationof a number of solvents including methanol. The goal is water/methanol selectivity greater than 15.0. A parallel goal is 50% savings compared to molecular sieves. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Enhanced Recovery of Pharmaceutical Solvent Driven by EPA Initiative CMS will develop membranes with enhanced separation and highly resistant porous supports to permit energy- efficient, cost effective, and otherwise non-polluting alternative technologies for solvent recycling."
Incorporating Physiological Measurements in Enlisted Classification and Officer Career Path Aptitude Assessments,N00014-13-C-0142,DOD,OSD,SBIR,2013,2,749784.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Frank Abbott,"VP of Finance, CFO",(302) 894-8045,fta@quantumleapinnovations.com,Jijun Wang,Program Manager,(302) 894-8055,jw@quantumleapinnovations.com,In Phase I we have developed an integrated software and hardware solution to identify personnel who have a natural aptitude for a cognitive skill. The goal of Phase II is to develop a screening tool by expanding previous multi-dimensional approach developed in Phase I and predict vigilance skill performance and aptitude for enlisted classification and officer career path aptitude assessments. The task-specific physiological test and the proof-of-concept screening tool will be initially evaluated at the Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) directly after the candidate is administered the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test to assess the vigilance of about potential recruits and support the classification process of sailors.
Development of advanced soft magnetic nancomposite materials with low loss,DE-FG02-13ER90692,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2013,1,149999.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,Ms.,3023799808,jrlin@spectrum-magnetics.com,Hao Zhu,Dr.,3029931070,hzhu@spectrum-magnetics.com,"This SBIR Phase I proposal is aimed to develop advanced soft magnetic nanocomposite materials with low loss, high flux density, and capability to operate at high frequency ranges (100kHz-10MHz). With Spectrum Magnetics & apos; proprietary technique, we will develop magnetic flake materials with thickness in the nanometer scale, which effectively reduces the eddy current loss and eliminates undesired demagnetization factor. Consolidation of laminated magnetic nano-entities leads to novel cores, which is a nano-scale version of conventional laminated soft FeSi (silicon steel) cores. Our process greatly simplifies the manufacture procedures and reduces the cost."
Advanced Separation Technologies for Extraction of Rare Earth Elements (REE),N00014-13-P-1009,DOD,OSD,STTR,2013,1,100000.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,(302) 379-9808,jrlin@spectrum-magnetics.com,Hao Zhu,Senior Research Scientist,(302) 993-1070,hzhu@spectrum-magnetics.com,The proposed SBIR Phase I program is to develop a novel nanobulb flotation method with high efficiency and rare earth mineral recovery rate comparing to conventional methods. Significant efforts will focus on the studies of fundamental surface chemistry o
Evidence-Based Pain Intervention for Veterans: Leveraging Mobile and Social Media,1R43GM108122-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2013,1,190714.00,"ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY, INC.","3521 SILVERSIDE ROAD, SUITE 1-K, QUILLEN BLDG",,WILMINGTON,DE,19810-,No,No,No,Joseph Destefano,,302-477-2510,joedestefano@advanced-materials-tec,Barry E. Boyes,,302-981-0853,bboyes@advanced-materials-tech.com,"DESCRIPTION: Life sciences research and other critical bioanalytical applications would strongly benefit from faster and higher resolution liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separations for both small molecules and larger molecules such as proteins, peptides,glycopeptides, and glycans. Many HPLC separations of biomedical interest, such as proteomic or glycomic profiling, require hours or days for resolution of a single sample. Due to the complexity of biological samples, there are many examples in the currentresearch literature that combine multiple dimensions of HPLC separations, often with online mass spectroscopy (MS). Although very time consuming, this approach has yielded useful information on protein expression and post-translational modifications, the biological processes underlying protein expression and modifications, and the effects thereon of development, disease state, and various environmental and genetic factors. In various complex bioanalytical workflows, high efficiency LC separations are a fundamental part of the analytical systems, and the time to achieve high resolution separations of complex biological samples is a great bottleneck. This proposal describes an approach to improve the separation efficiency of HPLC by extending our proprietary Fused-Core silica platform technology to non-spherical superficially porous particals, including ellipsoids, providing significantly faster and higher resolution separations. Our objectives are to create 2.5-5 ?m diameter ellipsoidal superficially porous Fused-Core silica particles, and to load these materials efficiently into HPLC column formats. The goals of the proposed work could yield very high performance chromatographic products, greater than those currently available, to be applied broadly in analysis of complex biological samples, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical applications, in fact in any current application that uses HPLC methods. The separations technology described will directly lead to useful products for which there is a significant technical and market demand. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: High pressure liquid chromatography is the most widely used analytical method to separate mixtures of molecules, allowing measurement of quantities and identities of materials in a mixture. This method is broadly used in biomedical research, as well as in the creation, manufacture and control of therapeutic interventions. The current proposal is to use new knowledge in materials science and chemistry to enable faster and more efficient separations by liquid chromatography, saving time and money, as well as enabling new uses of the method to understand the structure and function of biological molecules."
Novel Materials and Methods for Separations of Glycopeptides and Glycans,2R44GM093747-02,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2013,2,1161877.00,"ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY, INC.","3521 SILVERSIDE ROAD, SUITE 1-K, QUILLEN BLDG",,WILMINGTON,DE,19810-,No,No,No,Joseph Destefano,,302-477-2510,joedestefano@advanced-materials-tec,Barry E. Boyes,,302-981-0853,bboyes@advanced-materials-tech.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Analysis of glycoprotein polypeptide sites of carbohydrate attachment and the structures of the glycans present on these proteins requires the combination of high resolution chromatographic separations and sophisticatedmass spectrometry. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has great use in separations of glycopeptides and released glycans, exhibiting remarkable selectivity for the separations of glycoforms. The proposed effort is to markedly improve separations of glycopeptides and released glycans by HILIC, reducing the separation times from the current 2-3 hours per sample, to 30 minutes or less. The separations component of LC/MS analysis of glycoproteins can benefit from the design of more efficientstationary phase chromatographic materials, and from the use of conditions that allow direct and productive interfacing with mass spectrometers. We propose that recently developed superficially-porous silica microparticulate silica packing materials (Fused-Core(R) structures) can achieve these separation speeds, without loss of the required high resolution. The AMT Fused-Core reversed phase materials have previously been shown to exhibit superior kinetic properties and column efficiencies for separations of small molecules, and recently, wider pore size packings have shown a similar benefit for larger peptides (c. 3-5 kDa). The current proposal uses Fused-Core technology with unique surface modifications to develop high performance HILIC materials specifically for separations of glycopeptides and glycans. Tailored HILIC materials will be synthesized and tested for HILIC operation, as well as to establish the fundamental relationships between surface properties, particle characteristics, and utility for glycan and glycopeptides separations. The new bonded phases utilize organosilane chemistry discovered in Phase I efforts that have been selected to withstand aggressive conditions of use, permitting stable and robust separations materials that can be used across a broad range of conditions. Preliminary LC/MS applications in glycoproteomic applications have been completed in Phase. A reasonable estimate is that an improvement of gt2-fold for separations times are obtained. Phase II will expand on this effort, with the purpose of delivering further improved materials and methods to a broader range of needs in glycoproteomics and proteomics workflows. A significant aspect of the current proposal will assess the benefits and real-world applications of these new separations materials. The target of this work is to produce robust materials that permit simple integration with online mass spectrometry analysis, effective for resolution of the complex mixtures that are typical of current glycoprotein identification and structural characterization procedures. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Protein modification by the addition of sugars (called glycosylation) is extremely common in nature, and this modification exhibits a strong effect on protein structure and on biological function. In certain diseases, most notably in cancer and for some infectious diseases like influenza, glycosylation of proteins, or recognition of such proteins, is altered in ways that are not fully understood. In some casesthese alterations are big enough to allow them to be used for recognition of disease, and in some cases to stratify patients. The current proposal is to use new knowledge in materials science and chemistry to enable much faster and more efficient ways todiscover glycosylation disease markers and to better understand the biology of glycosylation."
Narrowband Perfect Absorber using Metamaterials,W911NF-13-C-0073,DOD,CBD,SBIR,2013,2,500000.00,"Lumilant, Inc.","51 East Main Street, Suite 203",51 east main street suite 203b,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Ahmed Sharkawy,CTO,(302) 456-9003,sharkawy@lumilant.com,Ahmed Sharkawy,CTO,(302) 456-9003,sharkawy@lumilant.com,"Current bolometers are broadband detectors and tend to absorb broad IR spectrum for thermal imaging. A key issue with these systems is the lack of sensitivity of the sensors in target detection due to blackbody radiation limit. As a result, one of the many important applications such as low concentration chemical detection cannot be performed. A solution to this problem is to employ cryogenic systems where the sensors are cooled either thermoelectrically or with liquid nitrogen which can lead to higher sensitivity in detection. However, one major drawback of these systems is the size, weight and power (SWaP) issue as they tend to be rather bulky and cumbersome which have largely challenged their use in UAV""s."
Advanced Spectrally Selective Materials for Obscurant Applications,W911SR-13-C-0072,DOD,ARMY,STTR,2013,1,149991.00,"Lumilant, Inc.","51 East Main Street, Suite 203",51 east main street suite 203b,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@lumilant.com,Ahmed S. Sharkawy,CTO,(302) 456-9003,sharkawy@lumilant.com,"As infrared (IR) electo-optical sensors improve in both availability and quality a strong need exists to have comparable improvements in the performance of military obscurants within the IR band. Conventional approaches for creating effective IR obscurants have relied primarily on shaped metal particles with high aspect ratios (e.g. rods, flakes). While efficient it is difficult to create very wideband or spectrally complex responses when using surface plasmon based metal particles. In this effort we will take a completely different approach towards the design of IR based obscurants. Instead of using metal particles we intend to explore the development of all dielectric obscurants that exploit the properties of photonic crystals with integrated nanocavities. We believe this approach can create highly reflective obscurant particles within an entire IR band. Moreover, by introducing defect modes we will show that it is possible to create single or multiple transparent windows within a wideband obscurant band. The all dielectric approach is also amenable to current nanofabrication methods as well as scalable nano-imprinting techniques that can be used to fabricate large quantities of obscurant at a reasonable cost."
ISS Additive Manufacturing Facility for On-Demand Fabrication in Space,NNX13CM01C,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2013,2,949776.00,"Made in Space, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19801-2230,No,No,No,Jason Lam,Operations Manager,7274884795,jason.lam@madeinspace.us,Michael Snyder,Principal Investigator,4192710602,snyder@madeinspace.us,"Made in Space has completed a preliminary design review of the Additive Manufacturing Facility. During the first half of Phase 1, the design went through conceptual development, simulation testing, cost analysis, and comparison testing of which off-the-shelf parts can be used. The deliverables for Phase I include a written report detailing evidence of demonstrated technology (TRL 5) in the laboratory and will outline in detail the path taken toward hardware demonstration for Phase II (TRL 6). The preliminary design is ready to be manufactured as an engineering test unit in Phase II. A feasibility study was created to demonstrate what could be fabricated for the inside of the ISS (parts and spares) and for the outside (possible satellites). It is anticipated that many of the sample uses that the AMF will make possible on-orbit have not yet been envisioned."
Advanced Hybrid Water-Heater using ECC,DE-FG02-13ER90499,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2013,1,149856.00,Xergy Incorporated,105 Park Ave.,,Seaford,DE,19973-9478,No,No,No,Richard L. Williams,Mr.,6469829622,richard.williams@xergyinc.com,Steven Naugler,Mr.,3026282100,steven.naugler@xergyinc.com,"This proposal is based on a transformational and disruptive technology of utilizing electrochemical compression to operate heat pump cycles. Xergy Inc. has exhibited a demonstration unit of its Kuel-cell device, and engaged in thermodynamic simulations utilizing water as the working fluid in order to propose the use of this Kuel-cell technology for hybrid hot water systems. Simulations utilizing ProSim Software, have indicated that COPs in the range of 4 (vs. 2.4 for comparable operating conditions provided by GE for GeoSpring hybrid) are attainable in advanced hybrid hot water heaters utilizing the Kuel-CellTM electrochemical compressor. And thus a smaller size 350 Watt compressor can be engaged, with alternative form factors in addition to other benefits such as noiseless and vibration free operation. Key components for this cell have been specified and need to be optimized. A work plan has been provided to develop discrete components and eventually build a bench top prototype during phase 1 of this SBIR program with a vision towards development of a product that can be commercialized during phase II (if awarded). The improved efficiency of the system (i.e. COP) not only enables a smaller size compressor to be utilized, but also results in significant reduction in operating costs (i.e. electric power utilization). In addition, the compressor provides an alternative form factor for designers. When all this is taken in conjunction with other inherent benefits of electrochemical compression such as noise-less operation, vibration free operation, and the use of a non-GWP refrigerant provide a compelling value proposition that would inspire significant market interest and penetration, which in turn would result in the development of serious sales volumes which will be required to attain mass production. Once the product is mass produced, the proposal has demonstrated how cost targets enabling market pricing of $500 can be met."
Parallel Solid-State Electrodes for Turn-Key Intracellular Electrophysiology,1R43MH099841-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2013,1,316260.00,"STEALTH BIOSCIENCES, INC.",160 Greentree Dr,,Dover,DE,19904-7620,No,No,No,Nicholas Melosh,,650-366-1844,STEALTHBIOSCIENCE@GMAIL.COM,Ari Chaney,,650-366-1844,ARICHANEY@YAHOO.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Interconnected networks of cells in the brain called neurons underlie all cognitive functions. Key advances in our understanding of brain function during the last several decades have resulted from technologies that permit monitoring of electrical activity in neurons. This technique, broadly referred to as electrophysiology, permits the study of circuits of connected neurons responsible for sensation, movement, thought, learning, and memory. These techniques have also revealed how abnormal electrical signaling between neurons can lead to dysfunction as occurs in disorders such as autism or Alzheimer's disease as well as due to damage from a stroke or traumatic injury. The most sensitive form of electrophysiological recording monitors very small electrical currents in single cells with glass pipettes placed inside the neuron. These 'intracellular' patch-clamp recordings are a powerful tool for exploring how neurons work-and don't work. Despite these great advances, currentintracellular recording technology has significant limitations: puncturing the cell damages it, leading to short recordings and abnormal biophysical and biochemical properties; skilled scientists are required, reducing the number of labs that can use thistechnique; and simultaneous recording from more than one or two neurons is rarely possible, making it challenging to study neuronal communication. Stealth Biosciences was established to overcome fundamental limitations of existing intracellular techniques. Our group invented a new technology which we call Stealth or biomimetic electrodes. These electrodes are able to fuse into the cellular membrane, providing a minimally damaging, electrically tight junction with the cell. Our initial measurements have demonstrated high-quality, long-term intracellular recordings that rival that of traditional patch-clamps. Biomimetic probes are based on standard silicon microfabrication processing, enabling large arrays of electrodes on inexpensive chips. Using support from a Phase I SBIR grant, we will refine the device and perform feasibility studies of this game changing, inexpensive, and easy-to-use intracellular recording platform. Our long-term goals are to develop this technology for wide commercial distribution among researchers to advance basic discoveries, accelerate drug development, and improve the health and well-being of those suffering from disorders of the brain. To achieve this ambitious program we outline two Phase I Specific Aims: Aim 1: Optimize Biomimetic Electrode Performance and Production In this Aim, we will assess the performance of different geometric and architectural designs for biomimetic electrodes. Designs will be evaluated for electronic characteristics as well as for electrophysiologicalperformance with cultured neurons. The fabrication process will be streamlined and structured with the goal of eventual large-scale fabrication. Specific milestone goals include electrical performance of lt 2mV noise, better than 0.1 ms time resolution,and lt200MW input impedance. Timing: Q2 and Q3. Aim 2: Functional Characterization of Biomimetic Probes with Cells in Culture The second Aim will characterize the biomimetic device performance for recording from rat hippocampal neurons. This stringenttest of intracellular recording capabilities will allow direct comparison to the gold- standard pipette-based patch-clamps. Cell recordings from the different probe designs in Aim 1 will be used to optimize fabrication techniques and probe design. Long-term recordings extending for days and possibly weeks will be used to demonstrate lifetime and temporal capabilities of the probes far exceeding what is possible with conventional patch-clamps. Timing: Q3 and Q4. We have brought together a strong team with expertise in electrophysiology, micro/nanofabrication, cell-to-cell communication, and business to support this technology development at Stealth Biosciences. At the end of this program, we will have an experimentally vetted system for 'turnkey' intracellular recordings. These will provide simple cell-preparation, gt16 individually addressable electrodes per chip, high-quality recordings, and compatibility with existing electrophysiological software and recording hardware. We believe these devices will find broad interest within the neuroscience community, both as a basic research tool, and for advanced applications in drug discovery and personalized medicine. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Measuring the electrical activityof neurons is essential for understanding neural and brain activity, yet the current method of pipette patch-clamping is slow, expensive, and cannot be performed on many cells at once. Our program will harness a new technical breakthrough to create a simple to use electrical measurement platform for many cells at once that will have nearly equivalent performance, but lower cost and complexity."
"Night Glow"Short Wave Infrared LED (NSLED) Image Projector Development,FA8651-13-M-0171,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2013,1,150000.00,Chip Design Systems,12 Longacre Court,,Hockessin,DE,19707-,No,No,No,Fouad Kiamilev,Research Scientist,(302) 494-6220,kiamilev@chipdesignsystems.com,Rodney McGee,Research Scientist,(302) 542-6548,cargoudel@gmail.com,"ABSTRACT: This project aims to develop a Short Wave Infrared band image projector to provide real time detector stimulation with high dynamic range. Our emitter technology is based on GaInAsSb quaternary semiconductor LED arrays hybridized to CMOS read-in integrated circuits. This project leverages read-in circuit design and control electronics that were developed under SLEDS - a longer wavelength projector program. By leveraging existing system components, we aim to increase the likelihood of project success, reduce program cost, and ensure compatibility with existing systems. Phase 1 effort will focus on fabrication and characterization of emitter devices and design study of read-in circuits and control electronics. BENEFIT: The commercial application of this program is the development of an SWIR image projector with unprecedented resolution capable of testing a wide variety of high-resolution SWIR detector arrays. These detectors are currently too large to be tested using existing SWIR image projectors. In addition to their military application, SWIR detectors are useful for inspection of continuous processes such as high temperature manufacturing processes, plastics recycling of automotive and consumer products, agricultural raw material cleaning and sorting, and a growing biological imaging technique, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography."
Early Detection of Evaporative Dry Eye Syndrome (EDE),1R43EY023119-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2013,1,139220.00,"PAIR TECHNOLOGIES, LLC",1 Innovation Way,,NEWARK,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Bruce Chase,,302-388-2261,chase@pairtech.com,Bruce Chase,,302-831-3251,chase@pairtech.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dry eye (DE) affects 25-30 million people in the U.S. alone and is responsible for 3.84 billion in direct annual health care costs. Evaporative dry eye (EDE) results from a lipid deficiency in tears causing the premature evaporation of tears. The problem to be solved is that current methods for accurately diagnosing EDE take time and are expensive. A fast, objective, analytical method that can be administered during a routine eye examination (10 minutes) is needed. We propose to address this need using a ultra-fast infrared spectrograph to measure the ratio of lipid to protein in tear fluid sampled with a conventional Schirmer strip; a test routinely administered during an eye exam. The chemical constituents deposited onthe Schirmer strip will be measured using a unique measurement approach, which couples separation of the chemical components along the strip and measurement of the distribution of these components with a new, multichannel measurement system employing an attenuated total reflection accessory. The primary cause of EDE is rapid tear evaporation due to low lipid levels. The onset of dry eye conditions can be pre-anticipated by changes in the lipid content of tears (a decrease in lipid to protein ratio (L/P)) measured by an infrared analysis of a tear film obtained on a Schirmer test strip. The long term goal is to provide an instrument compatible with a doctor's office that can rapidly and reliably measure the lipid to protein ratio n tears. This Phase I program will determine the L/P in synthetic and natural tears sampled with a Schirmer strip in less than two minutes with sensitivity (precision) of 1%. The Phase II program will design and construct a bench-top instrument, suitable for use in an ophthalmologist's office. It will use a standard Schirmer strip containing tears extracted from a patient during a routine ophthalmic exam and provide a measure of the lipid to protein ratio. There are more than 18,000 practicing ophthalmologists in the U.S. today. Thisuser-friendly , technician-operated, PA-IR instrument will allow them to track the L/P ratio for patients and provide for early detectio of the onset of evaporative dry eye (EDE). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposedresearch on the analysis of tears in the course of a routine eye examination will allow the identification of tear components which can be used as a pre-diagnosis of evaporative dry eye disease. This condition, which affects 25-30 million people in the U.S. alone, is responsible for 3.84 billion in direct annual health care costs and an additional 54 billion in indirect costs and lost productivity. This will improve quality of lif, and from an economic point of view, healthcare costs for the public will be reduced."
An Asthma Adherence Telehealth System to Improve Asthma Management,1R43HL115846-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2013,1,197026.00,"ASTHMA MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, LLC",310 CHRISTIANA MEDICAL CENTER,,NEWARK,DE,19702-,No,No,No,Prof A. Weinstein,,302-368-0500,agwmd@aol.com,Andrew G. Weinstein,,302-368-0500,agwmd@aol.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): ~ 22 million Americans have asthma, 6 million under 18. Annual cost of care is estimated at 19.7 billion, with 456,000 hospitalizations and 1.5 million ER visits. Inhaled corticosteroids effectively control symptoms and reduce morbidity, mortality and cost, but outpatient studies show that 28-56% of patients do not adhere to ICS regimens. A 1979 study of children in the ER with asthma found that only 2% had therapeutic levels of the controller medicine theophylline. Only 8%-13% of patients continue to fill prescriptions after 1 year. It is difficult for clinicians to determine if treatment failure is dueto non-adherence because self-reported adherence is unreliable. Non-adherent patients are at risk of excess morbidity,mortality and intervention due to the inability to diagnose and address the true cause of treatment failure. This project will integrate an innovative adherence telemonitoring device for inhaled medications with a new motivational interviewing strategy that will enable clinicians to determine the root cause(s) of asthma treatment failure and deliver tailored interventions to improve adherence and/or correct inadequate medical treatment. The product will differentiate two major causes of treatment failure: non-adherence and incorrect medication or dose. In a pilot study, the PI used medication monitoring and psycho-educational adherence programs in children with severe asthma to significantly reduce morbidity, ER use, hospitalization and cost. This research extends that work and addresses two important knowledge gaps. First, NHLBI Expert Panel Report 3 states that adherence monitoring is a key component of management, but notes that the supporting data is weak, and encourages trials of adherence monitoring. Second, 56% of American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology members say they don't know how to manage nonadherence. The innovation of this product is the combined use of 1) the SmartInhaler(R) telemonitor that transmits the date and time that controllerand rescue medications are dispensed from metered dose or dry powder inhalers; 2) a peak flow telemonitor, 3) an interactive voice response system that collects symptoms and, 4) timely motivational interviewing adherence strategies (MIAS), delivered by telephone when adherence is low or the patient is symptomatic. There is no product currently in clinical use that monitors inhaled medication adherence, links the adherence data with symptoms to identify the root causes of treatment failure and enables clinicians to deliver timely MIAS interventions. Because the adherence and symptoms data are real time, clinicians can leverage that information to create 'teachable moments' that improve adherence. Upon completion of Phase 2, we will have a scalable, low-cost,web-based product that improves asthma care and reduces cost. We will market to disease management companies and entities with financial risk such as ACOs, patient-centered medical homes, at-risk provider networks, insurers and the VA. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project is designed to help providers correctly identify the cause of asthma symptoms. Patients will receive medication and lung function telemonitors to explain if asthma symptoms are due to failure to take medication or insufficient medication. Providers will counsel patients to help them be more consistent with their asthma medication."
Silicon Receiver for Millimeter Wave Distributed Aperture Imager with Optical Upconversion,W15P7T-12-C-5010,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2012,1,149722.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,Chief Executive Officer,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Richard Martin,Chief Operating Officer,(302) 456-9003,martin@phasesensitiveinc.com,"In this SBIR effort we will design (Phase I) and demonstrate (Phase II) an integrated silicon electronic-photonic upconversion receiver that when used with our photonic backend will allow for a highly sensitive, real-time, and economical millimeter wave (mmW) imaging system. The development of this chip leverages recent progress in CMOS and SiGe HBT high speed analog circuit design and integrates it monolithically with emerging photonic technology. The end result will greatly reduce the SWaP, cost, and complexity of the system while increasing reliability and performance which in turn will open up new market segments for the technology. In Phase I, we analyze the design requirements and design suitable silicon-photonic receiver ICs. In the Phase I Option, we will fabricate and test the designs by leveraging our in house millimeter wave imaging system optical processors and high speed electro-optic phase modulators that have demonstrated record broad band (DC to>220 GHz) performance. In Phase II we will build an imager using our state-of-the-art modulator technology and optical processors. We will also further simplify the design by integrating the optical phase modulator on the silicon substrate thereby creating a single chip mmW receiver with an optical output."
Silicon Receiver for Millimeter Wave Distributed Aperture Imager with Optical Upconversion,W911QX-13-C-0006,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2012,2,998514.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,Chief Executive Officer,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Richard Martin,Chief Operating Officer,(302) 456-9003,martin@phasesensitiveinc.com,"In this Phase II SBIR effort we will dramatically reduce the size, weight, and power requirements of a passive millimeter wave imaging system based on optical upconversion. To this end, we will integrate custom silicon-germanium low noise amplifiers that have been designed to efficiently couple with our high performance lithium niobate upconversion modules. In Phase I we analyzed the design requirements and designed suitable silicon-germanium receiver ICs. In the four month Phase I Option period, we will fabricate the integrated circuits and design and build test substrates. In the first year of Phase II we will test the designs by leveraging our in house millimeter wave imaging system optical processors and high speed electro-optic phase modulators that have demonstrated record broad band (DC to>220 GHz) performance. We will also look to optimize the design and performance of the circuitry based on our measured results. The development of this chip leverages recent progress in SiGe HBT high speed analog circuit design and integrates it monolithically with emerging photonic technology. In the second year of the Phase II contract we will build a 30 channel distributed aperture imager capable of real time video rate imagery using our state-of-the-art modulator technology and optical processors."
Automation of Material Placement for Aircraft Radomes,FA8650-11-M-5186,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2012,1,142883.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark Gruber,Senior Partner,(302) 369-5390,mgruber@accudyne.com,Mark Gruber,Senior Partner,(302) 369-5390,mgruber@accudyne.com,"ABSTRACT: Accudyne proposes a SBIR program to develop an automated material placement process for aircraft radomes and demonstrate it by forming quartz cynate ester fabric over an existing radome tool. The process employs computer simulations to model the forming process and compute a 2D fabric pattern as well as a four degrees of motion machine to form the fabric over the curved radome tool. The targeted part properties are those measured by quality control inspections currently employed in the forming process. The accuracy of placement will be determined by measuring the chine overlap and chine butt joint between plies. Phase II will utilize the process and various deliverables from Phase I and provide the platform for the manufacture of a full scale radome. This pilot demonstration will validate the process and manufacturing methods that will ultimately be incorporated into an automated machine. BENEFIT: The successful demonstration of automation of material placement over complex curvature yielding full mechanical properties would present benefits for the Air Force, Air Force OEM""s, and the aircraft industry. The automation will result in i) lower part manufacturing cost by reducing the total operator interaction ii) reduced touch labor by eliminating hand forming of material by an operator iii) higher quality, repeatable parts by eliminating operator error and inconsistencies iv) potential reduction of quality control inspections. The resultant machine automation and process development will lead to other platforms and concepts for the automation of other complex curvature parts used in aerospace manufacturing."
"A Handheld, Low Cost, and High Throughput Sensor for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Detection and Quantifications in Military Fuels",W56HZV-12-C-0214,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2012,1,99960.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Director of Contracts&Proposals,(302) 468-0548,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,(302) 468-0980,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"Although biodiesels have been increasingly used in automobiles, trains, commercial aircrafts and heating systems, they are not currently used in the military aircrafts and land vehicles because they typically do not meet the JP-8 performance criteria as specified by MIL-PRF-83133E. Unintentional contaminations by the biodiesels into the jet fuels can introduce adverse effects, including engine operability problems and potential engine flame out. Typical biodiesel is the product of methanol transesterification of plant oil triglycerides, and as such, contains a mixture of many fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). Therefore, in order to detect the contamination by the biodiesels, it is important to monitor the FAME content in the JP-8 fuel. In this proposal, Alphasense Inc. and the University of Tennessee Space Institute detail the development of a handheld, low cost and high throughput sensor for FAMEs detections and quantifications in JP-8 fuel. The proposed sensor will have the following merits: a) Simple, compact, and low cost, b) High sensitivity and selectivity, c) Large measurement dynamic range, d) Long- lasting serviceability, e) Automatic data acquisition and interpretation, and f) Reusable."
"A Compact, Low Cost, Handheld Sensor for Non- Destructive Material Case Depth Verification",N68335-12-C-0001,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2012,2,796673.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Director of Contracts&Pr,(302) 294-0116,Xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,(302) 998-1116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this SBIR program, AlphaSense, Inc. teamed with the Center for Non-destructive Evaluations at Iowa State University to develop a compact, low cost handheld sensor for non-destructive material case depth verification. In phase I, we have proven the feasibility of using an alternating current potential drop (ACPD) sensor for non-destructive measurements of case depth. Phase II will be focusing on the optimization of the sensor system to improve its performance in terms of sensitivity, measurement accuracy and inspection time. Additionally, we will implement a compact, portable, relatively inexpensive and field testable prototype. Furthermore, we will develop methods to automatically extract the gear alloy type and case depths based on the measurement data."
Thin Diamond for Time-of-Flight Detectors,DE-FG02-12ER90312,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2012,1,145828.00,"Applied Diamond, Inc.",3825 Lancaster Pike,,Wilmington,DE,19805-1558,No,No,No,Peter Morton,Dr.,302-999-1132,pete@ddk.com,Joseph Tabeling,Dr.,302-999-7476,joe@ddk.com,"Detectors and radiation monitors for future high energy and nuclear physics experiments must be able to withstand radiation environments several orders of magnitude harsher than those of any current device. At present, most radiation detectors are based on silicon technology, however, the practical radiation hardness limit of silicon falls far short of requirements in future high energy physics experiments. New radiation hard technologies must be developed to fill this gap and diamond has proven to be one such technology. Diamond radiation detectors have historically encountered restricted usage owing to the limitations of natural diamonds including small size, lack of control of the material characteristics and lack of control of surface properties. Recent advances in the growth of high quality Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond have created relatively large sized, high purity polycrystalline diamond and an opportunity for the application of this material in practical detectors. This proposal addresses a need for detectors of large area and unusually uniform thickness. Optimizing the performance of diamond detectors in heavy ion nuclear physics will require providing high purity polycrystalline diamond with reduced grain boundary populations able to survive and perform at beam intensities approaching 108 particles/sec. We intend to design a process to make thin film diamond detector material, characterize it electronically and test it in a time-of-flight application. Success will enable us to look at processes for making the large areas of similar quality required for detectors at the dispersive focal plane of todays fragment separators. The proposed approach has the potential for a significant impact on nuclear physics research at facilities around the world. While solving an immediate and pressing problem for them, this technology will benefit users of 3rd and 4th generation light sources and enable the development of detectors to satisfy the future demands of the high energy physics community."
Enhancing Biosynthesis of Biofuels from Cellulosic Biomass,2012-02176,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2012,2,450000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"There continues to be a need for production of biofuels from agricultural sources. Butanol is a more attractive fuel than ethanol because it leads to better gas mileage, it achieves higher blends with gasoline than bioethanol, it has greater compatibility with existing fuel infrastructure, it is less volatile, it is more amenable to transport via pipeline due to low water absorption, there is no need for an engine retrofit, and it allows to use numerous existing agricultural feedstocks, as well as next generation feedstock including cellulosic biomass and algae. To produce butanol efficiently the fermentation process must be run continuously while maintaining low butanol concentration in the fermenter. This requires that butanol be removed from the fermenter at the same rate that it is produced. This can be done by conventional distillation, which requires that the fermentation broth be first processed for removing the microorganisms for recycle to the fermenter. The clarified broth must be heated and distilled to produce a butanol concentrate in the distillate. The bottoms product from the distillation must be cooled down and recycled to the fermenter. The conventional process requires a solids-liquid separation step and is energy intensive. If an alternate technology were developed to a) Do the butanol recovery without an extra step to do the solids-liquid separation, and b) Reduce the heating/cooling energy requirements of the distillation step It would reduce butanol production costs, save energy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Thus the process for producing biobutanol from agricultural sources and its economical attractiveness would be enhanced. The objective of this program is to develop a membrane system that accomplishes the above at a cost that is at least 30% lower than the cost conventional techniques. The Phase I was extremely successful and produced the data to give high probability of success in this Phase II program. This will be run experimentally and we will use best practices and statistically designed experiments to insure the highest quality data. Anticipated Results: Overall fuel market is 150 billion gallons per year domestically. With USDA/DOE plus executive mandates projecting 30% of fuel being renewable the market potential is 45 billion gallons/yr. Given biobutanol's superior performance to bioethanol, much of this 45 billion gallons/yr market is available to biobutanol if it can be supplied economically. Potential commercial applications: In addition to butanol, many other valuable chemicals can be derived from agricultural sources, e.g., acetone, glycerol, THF, isoprene, propanediol, gluconic acid, succinic acid, etc. All of these materials, assuming biochemical or fermentation routes to produce these materials are developed, would benefit from the CMS membrane technology and the proposed product concept."
Enhanced Drying of Pipeline Ethanol,EP-D-12-021,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2012,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,(302) 999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Daniel Campos,,(202) 999-7996,dcampos@compactmembrane.com,"There continues to be a need for low cost production and shipment of fuel-grade ethanol from agricultural sources. Ethanol from agricultural sources has many advantages including developing fuel independence and significantly reducing greenhouse gases. Also, bio-ethanol has significant value as an oxygenated and octane improver. Although ethanol from agricultural sources has many advantages, the cost of ethanol still tends to be significantly higher than gasoline and this will most likely limit its transition into the fuel industry. Shipping by truck, ship or rail is a major contributor to the high cost of implementing fuel grade ethanol. Shipping ethanol by pipeline is significantly less expensive but because ethanol is hydroscopic, pipeline ethanol usually includes water. This water can cause problems in engines and cause gasoline to irreversibly phase separate in ethanol-water systems. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) proposes a novel and simple membrane process that can easily remove water from ethanol so that ethanol can be shipped by pipeline and consequently be less expensive than shipping by truck, ship or rail. Program will focus on unique family of amorphous perfluoromembranes. Working closely with key suppliers, CMS will supply amorphous perfluoromemberaness that do not contain any perofluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA). This is a major EPA objective. Our program goal is to show that the CMS system has significantly superior economics (e.g., 50%) cost improvement relative to existing remedies. In Phase I we will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed CMS technical approach. The goal in Phase II will entail long term testing of a pipeline ethanol platform and development of the process with our existing industrial partners. A successful Phase II program will lead to the scale-up of a pilot manufacturing effort with commercial testing and qualification."
Novel Membrane Systems for Olefin/Paraffin Separation,DE-FG02-12ER90318,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2012,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Kenneth Pennisi,Dr.,302-999-7996,kpennisi@compactmembrane.com,"Ethylene and propylene are the primary feedstocks for the manufacture of polyethylene and polypropylene, respectively. These olefins represent a major component of the polymer manufacturing cost. Consequently, there is significant economic benefit in minimizing losses of unreacted olefin from the process. Some olefin loss is a result of the need to remove paraffin from the polymerization reactor. Low concentrations of paraffin are present in the feedstock (ethane in the case of ethylene feed and propane in the case of propylene feed). The paraffin builds up in the reactor as the olefin is consumed by reaction and reactor effluent is recycled. This makes it necessary to vent some of the reaction mixture in order to limit the buildup of paraffin. The vent stream carries both paraffin and the valuable olefin. A membrane that can efficiently separate the olefin from the paraffin would provide substantial economic benefit to these polymerization processes. Membrane processes have been previously evaluated for separating ethylene/ethane or propylene/propane. While somewhat encouraging results have been demonstrated, stability problems have led to systems that have been unable to maintain performance. In many cases silver (Ag+) salts were used to preferentially transport the ethylene or propylene. It is proposed to combine the stability features and high gas transport of Compact Membrane Systems proprietary membranes with transition metal complexes to create a facilitated transport membrane. These polymers have demonstrated superb chemical and thermal stability with the highest gas transport of any known stable polymer membrane. CMS has identified routes to adding transition metal complexes to the polymer. A robust chelate with a late-transition metal center incorporated into the membrane polymer will enable both high permeance and high selectivity for ethylene/ethane and propylene/propane separations. Detailed engineering and economic evaluations will be done with basic data from Phase I. Commercial Applications or other Benefits: In 2005 U.S. manufacturers produced about 16.3 million metric tons of polyethylene and 8.1 million metric tons of polypropylene. Annual reactor vent stream losses of the olefin feedstocks are estimated to have a value of $620 million and represent an equivalent energy loss of 29 trillion Btu. The proposed membrane can drastically reduce these costs by recovering olefins from vent streams for reuse in the reactor"
"SBIR Phase I: Cultivation of Duckweed for Bioremediation of Delaware and Chesapeake Watersheds, and for the Sustainable Production of a Renewable Chemical Feedstock",1215076,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2012,1,149707.00,"ELCRITON, INC",15 Reads Way,Suite 106,New Castle,DE,19720-0000,No,No,No,Lisa A. Waidner,,3015098966,lisawaidner@elcriton.com,Lisa A. Waidner,,3015098966,lisawaidner@elcriton.com,"This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a duckweed system for poultry waste bioremediation and use of the duckweed as a renewable feedstock for Clostridium acetobutylicum (Cac) biofuel production. Runoff from agricultural, municipal and other sources leads to eutrophication of the Chesapeake and other bays, with approximately half of the loads from agriculture, particularly poultry production on Delmarva. This work will provide an alternative nutrient reduction strategy, while simultaneously providing feedstock for clostridial biobutanol fermentation and poultry feed supplements. Current biobutanol work relies on corn hydrolysate, and duckweed is an attractive renewable feedstock. Life cycle assessments of environmental impacts indicate the ideal systems combine strategic placements of small/medium-scale wastewater remediation with biofuel feedstock production. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are the development of poultry waste bioremedation strategies coupled with the development of that biomass for renewable chemical and biofuel technologies. The goal of this Phase I project is to maximize manure remediation while producing biomass for Cac biobutanol fermentation. Depletion of non-renewable energy sources, leading to high oil prices, highlights the importance of economically-viable technologies for production of biofuels from renewables. Renewable biomasses should be carbon-neutral and be efficiently used in biorefinery production. The economic potential of biorefineries is hindered by cellulosic materials that compete with food supply economics (i.e. corn). The commercial potential of a biomass from a nuisance plant, duckweed, combined with the use of clostridia biobutanol production is exceptional, but remains unexplored. This project aims to demonstrate this potential."
Carbon Nanotube (CNT) and Carbon Fiber Reinforced SiC Optical Components,NNX12CF47P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2012,1,124854.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Prashant Karandikar,Director of R&D,3024548600,karandikar@mmmt.com,Prashant Karandikar,Principal Investigator,3024548600,karandikar@mmmt.com,"M Cubed has developed and patented technology to make carbon fiber reinforced SiC composites and components. In addition, the feasibility of doubling the toughness of SiC with carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforcement has been proven. In this program, M Cubed will demonstrate further innovative modifications of the above technology to make extremely lightweight, high toughness, low CTE optical components. In particular, 0.25 m and 0.5m lightweighted spherical mirror substrates will be fabricated, coated, finished and delivered to NASA for characterization (including cryogenic testing. A path will be outlined to take the technology to 1-2m class mirror in Phase II."
28GHz-43GHz Nadir/Near-Nadir (~70-90 degrees wrt horizontal) Low Probability of Intercept Radio Frequency Direction Finding/GeoLocation Capability,N68335-12-C-0141,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2012,2,744361.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,(302) 379-9808,jrlin@spectrum-magnetics.com,Stoyan Stoyanov,Senior research Scientist,(302) 993-1070,stoyan@spectrum-magnetics.com,"In this program, we propose a radio frequency (RF) direction finding sensor for low probability of intercept (LPI) RF radar system. This sensor consists of a dielectric lenses focusing system and an innovative focus plane detector array (FPDA) developed by Spectrum Magnetics, LLC (SM). The focusing system project the RF signal onto its focus plane. A novel FPDA based on emerging spintronic and metamaterials devices, with each element being much smaller than the EM wavelength, accurately detects the diffracted field distribution produced by the lenses. The center of the distribution is related to the direction of the incident waves. The direction can thus be extracted from the position of image of the transmitter in the focus plane and parameters of the focusing lens system."
Anion Exchange Resin for Chirality-based Separation of Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes,SB1341-12-CN-0028,DOC,NIST,SBIR,2012,2,300000.00,"Sepax Technologies, Inc.",,,,DE,,No,No,No,,,,,Ke Yang,,(302) 366-1101,Kyang@sepax-tech.com,"Sepax Technologies, Inc. has identified a new type of anoin-exchange resin which separates single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with >80% recovery yield and resolves in a single pass the chiral tubes of (6,5) well from commercial SWCNT starting materials by Chromatography. Improvement and scale up of the targeted resin production will facilitate the separation of chiral nanotubes for the academic research and industrial application."
Echo Time Distance Measurements for Nanosatellite Arrays,NNX12CD28P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2012,1,124735.00,American Academy of Aeronautics,505 Brookfield Drive,,Dover,DE,10991-6534,No,No,No,Jacob Elsonbati,Business Official,6502753820,cpi@americanacademy.net,Periklis Papadopoulos,Principal Investigator,6502487173,periklis.papadopoulos@gmail.com,"This proposal presents a technique for the precise determination of distance between nodes of a planar array of nanosatellites for synthetic aperture and sensor array applications. The proposed effort will result in a navigational technique that can precisely determine the positions of nanosatellite sensor nodes in the array. The proposed innovation enables higher performance and low cost sensor array development, while fitting within the size constraints, limited communication ability, and operational duty cycles of nanosatellites.The technique presented depends on echo time measurement between a satellite and its neighbors. That is, the satellite generates a RF signal that is received by its neighbors and echoed back. Differential measurements are taken to subtract out delays introduced by the propagating hardware. The distances between pairs of neighboring satellites can then be combined with bearing and orientation information to precisely map the spatial arrangement of the satellite array. Combined with bearing and orientation measurements, this technique solves the precise position determination (PPD) problem using nanosatellites; that is, position determination within the sensor array with accuracy suitable for synthetic aperture formation."
ISS Additive Manufacturing Facility for On-Demand Fabrication in Space,NNX12CE77P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2012,1,124821.00,"Made in Space, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19801-2230,No,No,No,Aaron Kemmer,Business Official,7274039763,aaron@madeinspace.us,Michael P. Snyder,Principal Investigator,7278089936,snyder@madeinspace.us,"The ability to manufacture on the International Space Station will enable on-demand repair and production capability, as well as essential research for manufacturing on long-term missions.Having an Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) on the ISS will allow for immediate repair of essential components, upgrades of existing hardware, installation of new hardware that is manufactured, and the manufacturing capability to support commercial interests. Additive manufacturing is the process of building a part layer-by-layer, with an efficient use of the material. The process leads to a reduction in cost, mass, labor and production time.As part of this proposal, Made in Space, Inc., combined with the mission experience of Arkyd Astronautics, Inc. and NanoRacks, LLC, will develop an Additive Manufacturing Facility for the ISS that will enable on-board manufacturing capability. The crew would be able to utilize the AMF to perform station maintenance, build tools, and repair sections of the station in case of an emergency. The AMF will use an extrusion-based ""3D printing"" method, which Made in Space has already tested in zero-gravity with successful results (Summer 2011), and is scheduled to do sub-orbital testing in 2012 as part of NASA's Flight Opportunities Program.The first-generation AMF will be contained and operated in an 8U of the NanoRacks® payload system. It will be capable of producing components from a variety of space-rated composites. Later generations will have the ability to produce parts with space-grade metals. This versatility will allow for a variety of components and devices to be manufactured, enabling the mentioned uses to be applicable as well as unforeseen uses to be developed."
Diamond Refractive Focusing Optics,DE-FG02-12ER90320,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2012,1,142528.00,"Delaware Diamond Knives, Inc.",3825 Lancaster Pike,,Wilmington,DE,19805-1558,No,No,No,Peter Morton,Dr.,302-999-7476,pete@ddk.com,Joseph Tabeling,Dr.,302-999-7476,joe@ddk.com,"Synchrotron-based science has had a great scientific impact and will continue to have great impact going forward. In spite of the large investment in the 3rd generation light sources, most beam lines do not preserve the sources phase profile or brightness all the way to the sample. For these high brightness light sources, errors are almost completely due to distortion in the front-end optics caused by the high heat loads generated by the broadband radiation from the insertion device. The role of the first optic is to reduce the heat load on the rest of the beam line by reducing the bandwidth of radiation transmitted downstream. Diamond is rapidly gaining acceptance as an optical material for 3rd and 4th generation light sources because of its superior thermal properties. Existing applications include vacuum windows, attenuators, phase plates and monochromator crystals. These applications take advantage of diamonds low coefficient of thermal expansion, low absorption and high thermal conductivity which combine to minimize distortion under thermal load. Beryllium is the only other practical material with better absorption properties but its health and environmental concerns make diamond a preferred choice. Delaware Diamond Knives has produced a prototype refractive lens from single crystal diamond whose performance approached that of todays commercially available optics. We intend to improve our cutting processes to further improve the diamond lens performance and then to characterize the lens in a beam line test. Success will motivate us to simulate, design and build suitable cooling, mounting and manipulation hardware for the application of these lenses as front-end optics. The proposed approach has the potential for a significant impact on materials research at synchrotron facilities around the world. It solves an immediate and pressing problem of spatial resolution for them creating additional opportunities for micro- and nano-scale research for users of 3rd and 4th generation light sources"
SBIR Phase I: Contextual ASR to Support EHR Adoption,1142412,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2012,1,150000.00,"VMT, Inc.",113 BARKSDALE PROFESSIONAL CTR,,Newark,DE,19711-3258,No,No,No,Daniel J. Riskin,,6502753775,grants.public@healthfidelity.com,Daniel J. Riskin,,6502753775,grants.public@healthfidelity.com,"This Small Business Innovative Research SBIR Phase I project will use statistical analysis of historical medical records to create families of language models for each section of the traditional medical note and switch lexicons in and out of the automatic speech recognition (ASR) in real time based on the contextual position within the narrative note. Current speech recognition methods use a single, general-purpose medical lexicon to train a recognizer when identifying words. Medical context-specific probabilities are ignored. Because the DocTalk engine incorporates real time integrated ASR with natural language processing (NLP), there is an opportunity to utilize NLP contextual data to actually change the ongoing ASR process. This innovative text structuring method will exploit the statistical variability of language used in each section of the medical record. It is a unique opportunity to address delay in workflow; the largest barrier to a national electronic healthcare infrastructure, by using a cloud-based, open source leveraged solution. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes the ability of physicians to increase usable information, avoid third party transcription errors, and mitigate workflow delays. The majority of workflow delay in electronic medical records (EMR) is the need to perform manual operations to fill structured forms within the record, as opposed to simple unstructured narratives used in traditional written notes and transcriptions. Successful completion of this innovative proposed program of NLP-enhanced context based ASR will provide the accuracy required to deploy an integrated, interactive, intuitive, low-cost data entry system for small practice primary care physicians, and help overcome the largest obstacle to a national electronic healthcare infrastructure."
Phased array three-dimensional beam steering system for millimeter wave sources emitting in the 100-300 GHz region,W31P4Q-11-C-0235,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2011,1,99932.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Christopher A. Schuetz,CTO,(302) 456-9003,schuetz@phasesensitiveinc.com,"Herein, we propose a novel approach to achieving a broadband, phased-array transmitter operating at frequencies from 100-300 GHz. Our approach is based on the concept of optically distributing a pair of locked optical tones to an array of antenna coupled photomixers. Lightweight optical fibers enable the distribution of these optical tones to any arbitrary antenna array geometry with antenna placement being only limited by the physical size of the antenna. Each node of the array will be capable of emitting powers approaching 1mW at 100 GHz and the number of nodes in the array can be easily scaled using bulk optical splitting techniques and optical amplifiers. Phasing of the array is achieved using an array of optical phase modulators, which can be exceedingly fast enabling unprecedented beam slew rates. Our novel optical locking technique generates millimeter-wave tones with 1 Hz linewidths for high purity spectral emission. When combined, this photonically-enabled array will yield scalable, high-fidelity mmW phased array that covers the entire mmW spectrum in a single array."
EW Countermeasures Against Passive MMW Sensors,N00024-11-C-4195,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2011,2,299984.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Christopher Schuetz,CTO,(302) 456-9003,schuetz@phasesensitiveinc.com,"An emerging class of passive millimeter-wave (pmmW) sensors currently provides an unmitigated threat to the US Navy. While considerable effort has been expended reducing RADAR signatures of the next generation of Naval vessels, these ship designs often present significant signatures to pmmW sensors. To date, little has been done to understand or reduce these signatures. However, as a new class of pmmW sensors emerge that provide all-weather, day/night imagery, driven by applications in commercial security and developments in high-speed electronics, protecting against these threats will become significantly more important. Under this Phase II effort, we will develop countermeasures to these emerging threats using a combination of signature simulation and experimental validation. Using the output of models developed under this program, we will investigate a range of potential countermeasures including both passive and active approaches. In conjunction with the relevant program offices, we will then analyze the efficacy of these countermeasures for various mission requirements and scenarios."
RF Front End Based on MEMS Components for Miniaturized Digital EVA Radio,NNX11CB35C,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2011,2,599999.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Business Official,3024680980,xin@alphasense.net,Xin Zhang,Principal Investigator,3023021116,xin@alphasense.net,"In this SBIR project, AlphaSense, Inc. and the Carnegie Mellon University propose to develop a RF receiver front end based on CMOS-MEMS components for miniaturized digital EVA radio applications. In Phase I, we have proven the feasibility of implementing a compact, low power and high performance S band receiver front end based on CMOS- MEMS components. Specifically, we conducted link budget analysis to define the radio requirements for different applications, including low data rate voice, data/telemetry and high data rate, high definition video transceiving. We also identified and optimized the receiver front end architecture (i.e. a low-IF architecture), and analyzed its electrical performance based on known properties of individual CMOS- MEMS components. Finally, we fabricated two key components, a high quality factor MEMS band pass filter and a mixer-filter, and validated their performances. Phase II will be focusing on performance improvements of individual device and the whole receiver front end. We will also implement a fully integrated receiver based on the radio- on- a-chip solution, and characterize its performance."
High Performance Ka Band Power Amplifiers for Future EVA Radio Applications,NNX11CF81P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2011,1,99996.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Business Official,3029981116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Principal Investigator,3029981116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. and the University of Washington detail the development of a novel, high performance Ka band power amplifier for EVA radio applications. Key innovations of our approach include: a) The application of a class-E power amplifier to ensure high power efficiency, b) The EER power amplifier topology to enhance the linearity performance of the class-E amplifier, and c) a novel design of a CMOS class-G dual-supply modulator to further improve the power efficiency for modern modulation signals with high peak-to-average ratios. With such innovations, the proposed Ka band power amplifier has the following merits: a) Small form factor and low power consumption, b) Excellent linearity performance and large dynamic range, c) Fully compatible with modern digital signals and modulation techniques, d) Compatible with mature CMOS technology, and e) Extendable for multi-band and multi-carrier applications."
A Novel Automated and Controlled Dual Laser Ablation System for Selective Removal of Hard Chrome Plate,N68335-11-C-0032,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2011,1,79999.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,(302) 468-0980,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,(302) 998-1116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the University of Michigan (UM) detail the development of a novel automated and controlled dual laser ablation system for selective chrome removal. The key innovations of this proposal include the following: a) The combination of ns- and fs- laser ablation to quickly remove the chrome plate, while minimize the collateral damage to the substrate, b) The use of fs- LIBS to provide process control and feedback, and c) The implementation of a real time pattern recognition algorithm to identify the boundary between the chrome plate and substrate. With such innovations, the merits of the proposed method and its advantages over other techniques are listed below: a) Fast materials removal rate, b) Virtually no collateral damage to the substrate, c) Fully automatic process, and d) Suitable for a wide variety of coatings and substrates."
A Novel Sensor for Pitting Corrosion Monitoring and Load Distribution Measurements,N68335-11-C-0494,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2011,1,80000.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Director of Contracts&Pr,(302) 294-0116,Xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,(302) 998-1116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. details the development of a novel sensor for pitting corrosion monitoring and load distribution measurements. The key innovations of this proposal include the following: a) corrosion and load distribution measurements based on the electrical impedance measurements, b) the application of electrical impedance tomography technique to efficiently image the impedance distributions, c) a novel force-sensitive conductive polymer for accurate load distribution measurements, and d) the implementation of compact, low cost and handheld sensor readout electronics using a microcontroller. With such innovations, the merits of the proposed sensor include the following: a) Compact and low cost, b) High sensitivity and large dynamic range, c) High spatial resolution with a small number of sensor elements, d) Minimal interference with the testing articles, e) Physically and chemically robust under the operating environment, and f) High throughput."
A Handheld Sensor for Amorphous Coating Integrity Evaluation,D11PC20160,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,2011,2,1124997.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,Director of Contracts&Pro,(302) 998-1116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,(302) 998-1116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In the current SBIR program, AlphaSense aimed at developing a novel, handheld, non-destructive sensor to evaluate the integrity of Naval Advanced Amorphous Coatings (NAAC) in real time. In phase I, we have proven the feasibility of using the cavity perturbation technique to detect different types of defects present in thermal-sprayed testing coupons. Specifically, we optimized the sensor probe design and implemented an alpha- version sensor hardware. We measured the perturbed cavity resonances by reference and defect coatings, and correlated the sensor data with the material microstructures. We also identified methods to further enhance the sensor performances in detecting defects present in the coating/substrate interface and substrate. Phase II will be focusing on the optimization of the sensor system to improve its performance in terms of sensitivity, dynamic range, and interrogation depth, and the implementation of a compact, portable, relatively inexpensive and field testable prototype."
Low Light Level Camera For Raman Spectroscopy,1R43RR032234-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2011,1,104021.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Qun Li,,302-368-7824,kenli@bwtek.com,Jie Yao,,302-368-7824,jiey@bwtek.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Raman spectroscopy is a potentially important clinical tool for real-time diagnosis of diseases and in situ evaluation of living tissues. However, the application of Raman spectroscopy for tissue evaluation has been limited by the strong tissue fluorescence that often overwhelms the extremely weak Raman signal. The goal of this proposal is to develop an infrared Raman spectroscopy system with its excitation laser wavelength extending beyond 1000 nm, where the tissue fluorescence is completely suppressed and narrow line width diode lasers, such as those DFB lasers developed for optical communication applications, are readily available. A low-light-level infrared camera is proposed as the core component of the Raman spectroscopy system. It utilizes the miniaturized and monolithically integrated version of a proven solid-state detector technology, and is expected to be able to detect femto-Watts (namely, 10 (-15) Watt) of optical signal on each pixel. This sensitivity is several orders of magnitude better than standard silicon based CCD detectors and is comparable to the current image intensifying tubes, thanks to modern semiconductor integration techniques and recent breakthroughs in nano-materials. The proposed low-light-level camera covers 900 nm - 1650 nm spectral range. It is designed for high sensitivity with gain of 1,000. Its readout noise is as small as 1 electron/pixel/frame, lower than the current non-intensified systems. The high resolution of 15,000 linear pixels leads to 1 A spectral resolution. Its high speed of operation at 1 MHz allows 1 micro-second gating time. At volume production, the manufacturing cost of the proposed camera is 500. Based not on incremental improvements over existing solutions, but on a disruptive technology platform developed at BandW TEK, the proposed low-noise camera separates the low-noise high- speed detection and low-noise parallel amplification in the photo-detector array from the high- speed serialization and readout in the CCD/CMOSreadout electronics, with high-gain low-noise parallel amplification as the noise isolation buffer between the two processes. All is made possible by the recent boom in nanotechnology - the core amplifier utilizes 60 nano-meters of amplification layer and30 nano-meters of surface oxide layer to achieve low-noise high- sensitivity detection and amplification. As a result, the proposed low-light-level camera is expected to enable infrared Raman spectrometers of higher sensitivity and faster response time, thus more efficiently analyze biological samples and more accurately help diagnose diseases. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed low-light-level infrared camera is an enabling technology for infrared Raman spectroscopy at beyond 1000 nm, which is apotentially important clinical tool for real-time diagnosis of diseases and in situ evaluation of living tissues."
Novel Catalyst Systems,1R43GM088939-01A2,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2011,1,167022.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,bkelley@compactmembrane.com,Andrew Feiring,,302-999-7996,afeiring@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Transition metal catalysts are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of active ingredients, precursors and new drug candidates. These products must be very pure, often requiring labor and energyintensive separation processes, to achieve the required purity levels. Of special concern in the present context is to avoid contaminating the product with the transition metal catalyst used during its synthesis. The above references are far from an exhaustive list but suggest the breadth and importance of the chemistry available from palladium catalysts. Palladium catalyzed reactions are ubiquitous in pharmaceutical process chemistry. Many synthetic processes rely on both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis. However, Pd is highly toxic, and the allowable level of palladium in an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is highly regulated, and must be less than 5 ppm (oral) or 0.5 ppm (parenteral). Accordingly, there is considerable interest in the development of new technologies that will ameliorate the problem of metal contamination in Pd- catalyzed processes. A variety of scavenger and filtering methods are used for removing palladium from APIs. Palladium removal essentially adds an extra step to a synthesis, and is consequently costly in terms of time and money. Although palladium catalysis is the major focus of this proposal, other metal species are also of interest. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) proposes a new catalyst system that provides the needed catalytic reactivity as described above but eliminates the extra steps associated with reducing/eliminating contamination. In Phase I CMS will fabricate palladium system, demonstrate its catalytic capability and determine contamination level in produce. Contingencies are included and overall economic evaluation is included. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: It is proposed to eliminate the problem of leaching of transition metal catalysts into pharmaceutical process streams, which can contaminate theproduct and result in loss of costly catalyst materials. Combining fluorous technology with membranes we further enhance the ability to separate metal and other components from organic species. Successful implementation of this technology should result inhigher purity, lower cost products."
Customized Nanofiltration Membranes for Enhancing Pharmaceutical Manufacturing,1R43GM093710-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2011,1,161657.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,bkelley@compactmembrane.com,Praveen B. Kosaraju,,973-596-8457,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall focus of this application is to develop nanofiltration membranes to recover the spent solvents generated from drug manufacturing processes allowing the solvents to be reused resulting in elimination of waste. This is also responsive to NIH RFP PA-09-100 entitled Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy System Technology Research and Development . By using a pressure-driven nanofiltration versus a thermal-driven separation such as distillation for recovery of pharmaceutical spent solvents, we also are directly responsive to this NIH's RFP for energy efficient processes. Chemical syntheses in the pharmaceutical industry are often carried out in solvents and generate large amount of spent solvents. Extraction andpurification of pharmaceutical ingredients and cleaning of the drug manufacturing equipment such as reactors also generate solvent effluents. There are numerous needs in the pharmaceutical industry that involve the treatment of these organic solvents. They include: i) production of high purity solvents for organic synthesis ii) recovery of spent organic solvents to reduce the amount of toxic waste produced. The current application is addressed to remove contaminants from spent organic solvents generated from the production of bulk pharmaceutical substances. Nanofiltration separation, driven by the applied pressure gradient, allows solvents to permeate selectively through the membrane retaining the solutes and non-selective solvents. Most of the waste solvents produced in the drug manufacturing processes contain low molecular compounds or solutes such as spent catalysts and by-products with molecular weight less than 1000 g/mol. The spent solvents often contain azeotropic solvent mixtures that can not be separated easily. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will develop a membrane product and process to remove dissolved oxygen and water from reaction solvents and reactants as well as unreacted chemicals, spent catalysts and byproducts from spent organic solvents. This development has considerable significance to reduce production costs related to pharmaceutical manufacturing."
Novel Nanofiltration Membranes for Isolation of Pharmaceutical Compounds,1R43RR032228-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2011,1,399912.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,bkelley@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Novel Nanofiltration Membranes for Isolation of Pharmaceutical Compounds Project Summary: In the chemical manufacturing of pharmaceutical compounds, organic syntheses are often carried out in organic solvents and involve intermediates and final products with high added value. These pharmaceutical active compounds having molecular weights in the range of 300-2000 g/mol are often thermally labile, and thermal separation processes such as distillation/thermal evaporation are not preferred. The broad objective of this program is to develop chemically-resistant nanofiltration membranes and membrane separation technology for isolation of these pharmaceutical compounds from organic solvents. In contrast to distillation, nanofiltration (NF) is a molecular level size-sieving based separation process and can be operated at ambient or sub-ambient temperatures. In NF, driven by the applied pressure gradient, low molecular weight compounds such as solvents permeate through nanofiltration membrane while retaining higher molecular weight compounds. Although nanofiltration technology for aqueous systems is well established, the technology for organic solvent-based systems is still under development because of the lack of highly chemicallyresistant nanofiltration membranes. Based on our experience with chemically resistant amorphous fluorine-based membranes and our recent ability to customize these membranes, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. proposes to develop chemically-resistant organophilic NF membranes and hydrophilic NF membranes with superior membrane stability towards pharmaceutical solvents and chemicals, and superior membrane performance. Organophilic and hydrophilic custom amorphous fluorine-based polymers will be first synthesized, characterized and fabricated in to composite membranes. Then the composite membranes will be studied for NF performance with model solute-solvent systems. Hydrophilic solvent such as methanol will be used as model solvent to test the hydrophilic NF membranes. Similarly, toluene or hexane will be used as a model solvent to test organophilic NF membranes. Organophilic polymers and hydrophilic polymers will be further customized as necessary to achieve the desired NF characteristics (i.e. superior solvent flux and solute retention). After characterizing the NF membranes with model solute-solvent systems, they will be tested for isolation of active pharmaceutical ingredients and effect of various operating parameters on the NF membrane performance. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Unique nanofiltration membranes will be developed that are i) highly stable to the wide variety of process solvents used in the pharmaceutical manufacturing, ii) highly selective for drug intermediates and products by molecular weight, and iii) possessing high nanofiltration throughput for the wide range of drug industry solvents. This platform technology will be a widely desired and significant new tool for pharmaceutical manufacturing. The relevance to Public Health is lower cost medications, lower energy consumption, and less chemical pollution."
Enhanced Fluoropolymer Membrane Reactors for Production of Pharmaceutical Interme,1R43RR032260-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2011,1,396124.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,bkelley@compactmembrane.com,Andrew Feiring,,302-999-7996,afeiring@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The commercial syntheses of many pharmaceutical active ingredients and intermediates require acid catalysts and the removal of water to drive reactions to completion. Typical reactions include esterifications of carboxylic acids with alcohols, Friedel-Crafts acylations and alkylations, Schiff base, acetal and ketal formation and nitrations of aromatic compounds. Although common mineral acids are typically employed as catalysts, they create issues with product purification, waste disposal, safety, the environment and homeland security. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) proposes to develop membrane reactors (MR) to enhance these processes and eliminate the problems created by existing acid catalysts. CMS proposes developing enhanced membrane reactors and demonstrating performance on relevant pharmaceutical reactants. CMS has obtained key industry experts to facilitate this program. In this program, CMS will fabricate the membrane reactors. The resultant MR will be used torun reactions of pharmaceutical interest such as the alkylation and nitration of aromatic compounds. Expectation is that the CMS membrane reactor will result in higher yields, faster reactions and less contaminated products relative to incumbent processesand will have a very long lifetime due to the perfluorinated nature of the polymer. Society will benefit due to the lower production costs for the products, option for synthesis at lower temperature to maximize API efficacy, minimization of waste productsand elimination of the transport and storage of strong mineral acids. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Project Narrative The use of catalytic membrane reactors can replace acid catalysts in the synthesis of pharmaceutical products at lower cost and higherprocessing throughput."
Improved Dehydration Process for Pharmaceutical Synthesis II,2R44GM077717-02A2,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2011,2,1028810.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,302-999-7996,bkelley@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,,302-999-7996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) proposes to develop a perfluoro membrane reactor technology that will provide a generally applicable tool for removing water and oxygen from pharmaceutical synthesis processes. This innovation aims to improve product quality and reduce manufacturing costs of pharmaceutical end products. Manufacturing cost reductions will be derived from improved product yields, increased reaction rates and reduced energy input requirements of the manufacturing process. Product quality improvements will be derived from the elimination of entrainers, azeotropic distillation, and drying reagents in the process as well as operation at lower temperatures and driving the reactant. The project has been expanded toinclude the removal of both oxygen and water in an effort to reduce side reactions and/or catalyst poisoning which should be of broad use in pharmaceutical synthesis. This membrane system has the capability to withstand process temperatures of 2200C endowing it with universal applicability in almost any organic-water environment for water separation in the synthesis of products such as sildenafil, celecoxib, sertraline, and aprepitant. Given the large water-organic compound separation factors achievable, the inertness of the membrane, and the ability to withstand harsh operating conditions, we believe we have an ideal system for reaction water and oxygen removal. The proposer will develop the membrane system and processes while the subcontractors will demonstrate Pd-catalyzed amination reactions. These reactions have revolutionized drug discovery and process chemistry in the past decade. The efficiency of Pd-catalyzed amination reactions can be negatively affected by impurities such as water. The Fox group atthe University of Delaware and recently hired synthesis chemists at CMS (and consultants) will demonstrate the efficacy of the membrane process in Pd-catalyzed amination reactions in a study that will consist of: synthesis of the aryl bromide intermediatefrom the Astra Zeneca AR-A2 process; synthesis of the Pd-catalyzed amination product from the AR-A2 process; development of GC assays for the reactions; study of a control reaction without water/oxygen removal; and, study of amination with drying of the aryl bromide intermediate using the proprietary membrane. With success in Phase I, numerous industrial partners have either already spent over 150,000 on evaluation or committed to major evaluations in Phase II. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Compact Membrane Systems proposes to develop a process technology that will provide a generally applicable tool for removing water and oxygen from pharmaceutical synthesis of products. This will improve product quality and reduce manufacturing costs of pharmaceuticalend products."
Ionic Liquid Membrane Contactor for CO2 Capture,DE-FG02-11ER90173,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2011,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Kenneth Pennisi,Dr.,302-999-7996,kpennisi@compactmembrane.com,"Fossil fuels currently supply more than 85% of the worlds energy needs with the ensuing generation of 80% of all anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas is considered to be a major contributor to global warming. There is a concerted effort towards capturing carbon dioxide at the source of generation and sequestering the gas. However, with existing technologies for carbon dioxide capture, the cost of energy generation would increase significantly if carbon dioxide capture is mandated. This program combines two novel technologies, the amorphous perfluoropolymer membrane gas/liquid contactor and ionic liquid absorbents, to create a novel system for capturing carbon dioxide in flue gas and concentrating it for sequestration. Based on the published literature on ionic liquids, the proposed system will be capable of achieving a high selectivity separation of carbon dioxide from flue gas at a lower cost than the other currently available technologies. While the focus of this program is on capturing carbon dioxide in power plant flue gas, many other applications can be considered.Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: This is a platform technology for removing gas from other gases. There are many applications that can take advantage of this. Two key applications of this are: carbon dioxide sequestering and improved recovery of natural gas."
Improved Hydrogen Purification,DE-FG02-10ER85923,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2011,2,998213.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Industrial hydrogen production relies primarily on natural gas and hydrocarbon feedstocks to drive the various reaction chemistries that lead to hydrogen generation. Carbon dioxide, the ultimate co-product when such feedstocks and processes are employed, necessarily becomes a major contaminant of the generated hydrogen. Thus, carbon dioxide isolation and removal is an important process step in the efficient, low cost purification and recovery of hydrogen from the intermediate reformed and synthesis gases. A new proprietary, chemically resistant and highly durable membrane developed in this project promises to improve the separation efficiency and to dramatically reduce energy requirements for the separation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The proposed membrane and process also addresses the ease of isolating carbon dioxide for efficient capture and sequestration. Base data showed CO2/H2 selectivities as high as 15 in combination with a membrane system that can have CO2 permeance of over 1000 GPU. When compared to both amine scrubbers and pressure swing absorption processes, the CMS membrane process has dramatically lower capital and operating costs. Costs for a typical CMS membrane system is $58/MM SCF H2 while PSA and amine scrubber costs are between $162 and $1,072 MM SCF H2 for the same 99% H2 purity. Key objectives for Phase II include integration of all key components that were successfully demonstrated in Phase I into a system and this will be followed by both optimizing the system and then scaling the system up for pilot demonstration. Overall Phase II objective is to use the basic data from pilot demonstration to show capital cost and operating cost reductions of 50% and 35% respectively. Given our excellent success in Phase I, a number of key players and individuals are actively participating in Phase II. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Besides the hydrogen generation processes mentioned already, the new membrane promises to have broad application in the hydrogen economy, hydrogen processing, synthesis gas production, hydrotreating, and sulfur removal processes. Improvements in hydrogen purification and separation efficiencies and the ready isolation of a concentrated carbon dioxide co-product will have direct benefits in emissions reductions, energy independence, and carbon management. In addition to addressing specific needs of CO2 separation from H2, this platform will also address a broad Department of Energy need for high temperature and chemically resistant membranes."
Novel Membranes for Olefin/Paraffin Separation,DE-FG02-10ER85924,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2011,2,999790.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3025596764,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,Dr.,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"Ethylene and propylene are major chemical industry raw materials and consume a great deal of energy related to their production. It is estimated that 230 trillion BTU/yr are consumed in olefin/paraffin separations. Significant energy consumption is employed when cryogenically separating ethane from ethylene and propane from propylene. These cryogenic separations are difficult and are both capital and energy intensive. Membrane processes have been previously evaluated for separating ethylene/ethane or propylene/propane. While somewhat encouraging results have been demonstrated, stability problems have led to systems that have been unable to maintain performance. In many cases the use of silver (Ag+) salts were used to preferentially transport the ethylene or propylene. It is proposed to combine the stability features and high gas transport of Compact Membrane Systems proprietary membrane with the high selectivity of Ag+ salts. The membranes have demonstrated superb chemical and thermal stability with the highest gas transport of any known stable polymer. CMS has identified routes to adding Ag+. The introduction of Ag+ sites is likely to result in dramatically higher ethylene and propylene transport and also significant increases in ethylene/ethane and propylene/propane separation. We have demonstrated the feasibility of all the key elements for developing novel gas separation membranes. Key building blocks for program success include membranes that gave excellent results for the separation process of interest. Engineering and economic analysis projections showed that a process combining distillation and membrane separation would result in annual energy savings ranges from 16.8 to 45.6 trillion Btu per year. The resulting membrane/distillation hybrid process offers an energy savings of 15% to 23%, a return on investment up to 67% with a payback time of 1.3 years. In Phase II membranes will be optimized and larger size membrane devices will be fabricated. Testing will be carried out for ruggedness and stability of the membrane for an extended period of time. Membrane performance will be demonstrated at an industrial site and the process via engineering and economic evaluation will be verified. Commercial Applications or other Benefits: CMS has membranes with outstanding olefin/paraffin separation and flux. Economic and engineering analysis of these CMS membranes in a retrofit mode to be added to existing ethylene or propylene plants has projected energy savings of over 40 trillion BTU/yr and reduced separation costs by over $4.00 per 1000 pounds (or more than 12% of the separation costs)."
Energy Efficient Process for Solvent Extraction of Oil from Microalgae using Green Solvents,DE-FG02-10ER86435,DOE,DOE,STTR,2011,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Praveen Kosaraju,Dr.,3029997996,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"Solvent extraction by hexane is the most common choice for extraction of oil/lipids from algae. However, hexane is not the best choice of solvent for algae oil extraction because of the need to market byproducts for human and animal consumption. Oil and hexane from the solvent extraction process are separated by distillation/evaporation which is an energy intensive operation. Presence of explosive hexane vapors in the oil processing plant is also a serious safety concern. Extraction of algae oil with alcohols (e.g. ethanol) will eliminate the emission and toxicity issues. However, energy consumption for alcohol recovery/separation is significantly high because alcohols boil at higher temperature and latent heat of alcohols is 2-2.5 times higher than hexane. Compact Membrane Systems will develop energy efficient membrane separation process for separation of alcohol and oil from the solvent - algae oil extraction process. Algae oil extraction by alcohols (e.g. ethanol) will allow human and animal consumption of the byproducts. In addition, membrane separation process is a highly energy efficient technology compared to distillation/evaporation. Preliminary lab and economic evaluations suggest that our novel membrane technology is superior to existing commercial technologies. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Benefits of developing the proposed membrane technology come from energy and capital savings by replacing the conventional technologies such as distillation and evaporation. If successful at developing these membranes with superior solvent flux, oil retention, and thermal and chemical stability, it will have significant impact related to energy savings in many of the industrial processes using distillation and evaporation."
Venting of Underground Storage Tanks Containing Ethanol-Gasoline Blends,2011-02300,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2011,2,460000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,John J. Bowser,,302-999-7996,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,"Vapors produced during the process of refueling cars are a significant source of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emissions. Uncontrolled emissions cause economic losses and pollute the environment. This problem is exacerbated when the gasoline contains bioethanol because its presence increases the vapor pressure and volatility of the fuel. These increased fuel emissions from ethanol-gasoline blends may lead to limitations on the use of E10 or E15 or higher ethanol blends. If a successful technology is developed and applied to all U.S. fuel stations for solving the VOC emissions problem, 200 million gallons per year of E10 or E15 fuel (containing 10 or 15% ethanol) can be recovered. This is both an energy savings and an emissions reduction of equal magnitude. Working with industrial partners a novel membrane system has been developed for venting biofuel storage tanks. This system reduces ethanol-gasoline VOC emissions by more than 95% and recovers more than 95% of fuel vapors. Therefore, the technical and economic feasibility of the novel membrane system for venting ethanol-gasoline storage tanks during car refueling was demonstrated. Preliminary analyses show that such a system pays for itself in 2 to 2.4 years when installed in a typical fuel station that dispenses 213,000 gal/month. The proposed work plan for Phase II consists of scaling-up the membrane venting system, optimizing it and running a pilot and long-term tests. While the initial focus of this program is VOC abatement associated with biofuel storage tanks, we believe there are many other applications as well. A market research study by BCC (Business Communications Company) has identified potential VOC reduction opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, cement industry, the power industry, surface coating industry, waste water industry, and semiconductor industry."
Solvent Recovery from Vegetable Oil Miscella by Novel Solvent-Resistant Nanofiltration Membranes,2011-02614,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2011,2,460000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,302-999-7996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Praveen Kosaraju,Research Engineer,302-999-7996,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"Soybean is the major source for production of edible oils worldwide and in United States. Pressing of the soybean into flakes followed by the solvent extraction with hexane (solvent) is most widely practiced for extraction of oil. Separation of solvent from oil-solvent mixture for solvent recovery and reuse is usually carried out by solvent evaporation. Evaporation (or distillation) demands considerable amount of energy and associated costs since it involves an energy and capital intensive phase change of the solvent. Solvent used for oil extraction (i.e. hexane) from oil seeds is highly volatile, flammable, and is also explosive; therefore, solvent recovery by distillation is also a physical hazard. Hexane is also categorized by the EPA as hazardous air pollutant and the inevitable loss of hexane vapors into the environment during the solvent recovery by distillation is a severe environmental issue. Based on our experience with chemically resistant membranes, Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has proposed and demonstrated the feasibility of superior membrane filtration technology for separation of solvent from vegetable oil-solvent mixture. Benefits of developing this superior membrane filtration technology are associated with (i) energy and capital savings by replacing the conventional technologies such as evaporation, (ii) increased process safety, and (iii) reduced solvent emissions into the environment from vegetable oil processing plants. The proposed membrane filtration technology will have a significant impact in many of the industrial processes using distillation/evaporation. For example, solvent recovery by the superior membrane filtration technology will be of great value in processing other oil seeds such as corn, cotton seed and canola. Other applications of the proposed membrane filtration technology include solvent recovery from algae oil extraction process in biofuel production and solvent recovery from solvent-deasphalting process in petroleum refining."
Lightweight Modular Vehicle Armor System Based on Perforated Ceramic Tiles,M67854-11-C-0003,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2011,1,69969.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael Aghajanian,"VP, Product Development",(302) 454-8600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Michael Aghajanian,"VP, Product Development",(302) 454-8600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,"A novel high performance, lightweight vehicle armor system for the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) is proposed. Following past work with perforated metals for weight efficient armor, the present work examines ceramic-based armor systems where the ceramic component has a novel design (e.g., perforations). The program will combine the strengths of the team members to yield an optimum product, namely M Cubed""s expertise with high performance reaction bonded ceramics, and BAE""s vast experience with the design and manufacture of armor systems. Specific activities in the proposed Phase I work plan are (i) developing a novel modular vehicle armor design that contains ceramic tiles of novel configuration, (ii) assessing manufacturability of the novel armor systems, (iii) demonstrating ballistic performance using standardized flat test panels, and (iv) production and testing of full-scale panels. A subsequent Phase II program would optimize performance and scale-up fabrication and testing activities."
"High-Strength, Lightweight Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) Material for Bridge Applications",W56HZV-11-C-0297,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2011,1,99816.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael K. Aghajanian,"VP, Product Development",(302) 454-8600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Michael K. Aghajanian,"VP, Product Development",(302) 454-8600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,"The Army is in need of an improved material for use in bridge structures. Key requirements are reduced weight relative to current metallic structures (steel and aluminum), high strength, resistance to catastrophic failure, attractive cost, and resistance to environmental factors (weather, corrosion, erosion, extreme temperatures, UV, etc.). To meet this need, the use of macro-composite structures of Al/SiC MMC and steel are proposed. The structures could consist of Al/SiC reinforced with steel (e.g., rebar), or hollow steel structures filled with Al/SiC. Such a product will possess the low weight, high specific stiffness and strength, and excellent corrosion resistance of Al/SiC; together with the resistance to catastrophic failure (i.e., high strain to failure) of steel. A key processing advantage of this system is the ability to match the thermal expansion properties of Al/SiC to steel (by selecting proper Al:SiC ratio), which allows the fabrication of large structural elements without residual stress. A five task Phase I program is proposed, namely (1) design of macro-composite structural elements, (2) finite element analysis of the designs, (3) manufacturing trials, (4) mechanical testing to generate stress-strain behavior and assess failure mode, and (5) development of a cost model."
Adaptive and Embeddable Agents for Real-Time Cognitive Readiness and Performance,N00014-11-M-0103,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2011,1,99868.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Frank Abbott,"VP of Administration&Finace, CFO",(302) 894-8045,fta@quantumleap.us,Jijun Wang,Sr. Software Scientist,(302) 894-8055,jw@quantumleap.us,"To meet the ever-increasing challenges imposed by next generation weapon systems and continued reduced manning efforts, Quantum Leap Innovations, Inc. will collaborate with the Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) to develop adaptive, embeddable, and configurable agents for real-time cognitive readiness and performance assessment. The objective of this SBIR is to develop and operationally test adaptive and embeddable agents that can be seamlessly integrated into existing military systems with minimal changes and enable warfighters to work effectively and safely in highly complex and uncertain environments. The agents will utilize a Bayesian network model to learn the probabilistic relationships between cognitive states of a human operator and his/her performance from neural, cognitive and behavioral data streams. Additionally, the Bayesian network model is able to adapt to different military systems based on the profile of users and task environments. In Phase I of this SBIR, we will demonstrate the benefits of configurable agent architecture and interfaces in the Mixed Initiative Experimental (MIX) Testbed a distributed training testbed for human-robot teams. We will further evaluate the feasibility of the Bayesian network modeling for single and multi-modal cognitive state assessment using data collected by UCF-IST."
Coordinated Asset Allocation and Route Planning for Anti-Submarine Warfare,N00167-11-P-0378,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2011,1,79923.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Frank Abbott,"VP of Finance, CFO",(302) 894-8045,fta@quantumleap.us,Ganesh Vaidyanathan,Chief Scientist,(302) 894-8040,gv@quantumleap.us,"Existing Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission planners can specify patrol regions for available sensor platforms and provide detailed, coordinated search tracks for each platform. However, most of the planners have not considered any real-time sensor information feedback during optimization and cannot support dynamic re-planning. To better support ASW in a dynamic and uncertain environment, Quantum Leap Innovations, Inc. (QLI) will collaborate with Professor Stephen Smith at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to develop a novel two stage sequential mission planning framework for coordinated asset allocation and route planning. In Phase I, we will leverage our extensive experience in various, successful mission planning applications for manned/unmanned systems and investigate approximate algorithms for real-time asset allocation and route planning in ASW. We will develop a simulation testbed for multiple manned/unmanned platforms and evaluate the effectiveness of coordinated search tactics using simulations. In the Phase I option, we will study many actual factors for multi-sensor coordinated search in ASW, such as variable size of sensing field of view, environment-dependent sensor models and communication connectivity."
Magnetic materials with strong ferromagnetic precession properties and low damping factors.,N00014-10-M-0420,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2011,1,99999.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,(302) 379-9808,bd@spectrum-magnetics.com,Stoyan Stoyanov,Senior Research Scientist,(302) 993-1070,stoyan@spectrum-magnetics.com,"The proposed SBIR Phase I program is to establish a ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurement setup that is capable of characterizing the FMR spectrum with high sensitivity and over a broad frequency, as well as nonlinear behaviors at high microwave power. The proposed effort also includes modeling effort in order to predict the figure of merit (FOM) for high power microwave generation, which is related with damping constant and the critical rf magnetic field above from which nonlinear behavior emerges. Finally, we will also investigate the guidelines and experimental possibility to fabricate magnetic materials with optimized FOM. These studies will provide much needed measurement tools and guidelines for Phase II magnetic material development and optimization for high power microwave generation."
Novel Materials and Methods for Separations of Glycopeptides and Glycans,1R43GM093747-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2011,1,199641.00,"ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY, INC.","3521 SILVERSIDE ROAD, SUITE 1-K, QUILLEN BLDG",,WILMINGTON,DE,19810-,No,No,No,Joseph Destefano,,302-477-2510,joedestefano@advanced-materials-tech.com,Barry E. Boyes,,302-981-0853,bboyes@advanced-materials-tech.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Analysis of glycoprotein polypeptide sites of carbohydrate attachment and the structures of the glycans present on these proteins requires the combination of high resolution chromatographic separations and sophisticatedmass spectrometry. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has great use in separations of glycopeptides and released glycans, exhibiting remarkable selectivity for the separations of glycoforms. The proposed effort is to markedly improve separations of glycopeptides and released glycans by HILIC, reducing the separation times from the current 2-3 hours per sample, to less than 30 minutes. The separations component of LC/MS analysis of glycoproteins can benefit from the design of more efficient stationary phase chromatographic materials, and from the use of conditions that allow direct and productive interfacing with mass spectrometers. We propose that recently developed superficially-porous silica microparticulate silica packing materials (Fused-Core(R) structures) can achieve these separation speeds, without loss of the required high resolution. The AMT Fused-Core materials have previously been shown to exhibit superior kinetic properties and column efficiencies for separations of small molecules, and recently, wider pore size packings have shown a similar benefit for larger peptides (c. 3-5 kDa). The current proposal uses Fused-Core technology with unique surface modifications to develop high performance HILIC materials specifically for separations of glycopeptides and glycans. Pore size and surface tailored HILIC materials will be synthesized and tested for HILIC operation, as well as to establish the fundamental relationships between surface properties, particle characteristics, and utilityfor glycan and glycopeptides separations. The new bonded phases will utilize organosilane reagents selected to withstand aggressive conditions of use (low pH and elevated temperatures), permitting stable and robust separations materials that can be used across a broad range of conditions. A reasonable estimate is that an improvement of 2-5 fold in separations times can be obtained, compared with current methods. The current proposal will further assess the benefits and real-world applications of these newseparations materials by use in glycoprotein structural analysis. The target of this work is to produce robust materials that permit simple integration with online mass spectrometry analysis, effective for resolution of the complex mixtures that are typical of current glycoprotein identification and structural characterization procedures. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Protein modification by the addition of sugars (called glycosylation) is extremely common in nature, and this modification exhibits a strong effect on protein structure and on biological function. In certain diseases, most notably in cancer, glycosylation of proteins is altered in ways that are not fully understood, but which are sufficiently different to allow such modifications to be usedfor recognition of disease, and in some cases to stratify patients. The current proposal is to use new knowledge in materials science and chemistry to enable much faster and efficient ways to discover more, and higher quality glycosylation disease markers."
Smaller Particle Fused-Core Silicas for Higher Performance Separations,1R43GM099355-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2011,1,203515.00,"ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY, INC.","3521 SILVERSIDE ROAD, SUITE 1-K, QUILLEN BLDG",,WILMINGTON,DE,19810-,No,No,No,Joseph Destefano,,302-477-2510,joedestefano@advanced-materials-tech.com,Barry E. Boyes,,302-981-0853,bboyes@advanced-materials-tech.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Life sciences research and other critical bioanalytical applications would strongly benefit from faster and higher resolution liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separations for both small molecules and larger molecules suchas proteins, peptides, glycopeptides, and glycans. Many HPLC separations of biomedical interest, such as proteomic or glycomic profiling, require hours or days for resolution of a single sample. Due to the complexity of biological samples, there are many examples in the current research literature that combine multiple dimensions of HPLC separations, often with online mass spectroscopy (MS). Although very time consuming, this approach has yielded useful information on protein expression and post-translational modifications, the biological processes underlying protein expression and modifications, and the effects thereon of development, disease state, and various environmental and genetic factors. In various complex bioanalytical workflows, high efficiency LCseparations are a fundamental part of the analytical systems, and the time to achieve high resolution separations of complex biological samples is a great bottleneck. This proposal describes an approach to improve the separation efficiency of HPLC by extending our proprietary Fused-Core silica platform technology to smaller particles, providing significantly faster and higher resolution separations. Our objectives are to create 2.3 and 1.8 micron diameter superficially porous Fused-Core silica particles, and to load these materials efficiently into HPLC column formats. The goals of the proposed work would yield very high performance chromatographic products, greater than those currently available, to be applied broadly in analysis of complex biological samples, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical applications, in fact in any current application that uses HPLC methods. The separations technology described will directly lead to useful products for which there is a significant technical and market demand.PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: High pressure liquid chromatography is the most widely used analytical method to separate mixtures of molecules, allowing measurement of quantities and identities of materials in a mixture. This method is broadly used in biomedical research, as well as in the creation, manufacture and control of therapeutic interventions. The current proposal is to use new knowledge in materials science and chemistry to enable faster and more efficient separations by liquid chromatography, savingtime and money, as well as enabling new uses of the method to understand the structure and function of biological molecules."
Anion Exchange Resins for Chirality-based Separation of Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes,SB1341-11-SE-0874,DOC,NIST,SBIR,2011,1,89999.00,"Sepax Technologies, Inc.",,,,DE,,No,No,No,,,,,Ke Yang,,(302) 366-1101,xhuang@sepax-tech.com,"Single chirality of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is critical for their superb mechanical, thermal, optical and electronic properties. All known methods for producing nanotubes give mixtures of tubes with different chiralities. Physical separation of SWCNT by chirality is thus an enabling step for many potential applications and fundamental studies. The existing anion exchange resins are only partially effective for SWCNT chirality separations, with low recovery (30%) and short column life time (20 injections). Sepax Technologies, Inc. proposes to develop a new anion-exchange resin to drastically improve chirality resolution of SWCNTs. Sepax will apply its proven surface technology to in-house made uniform non-porous polystyrene/divinyl benzene beads to obtain resins with well-controlled density and distribution of charged functional groups and hydrophobic/hydrophilic characteristics, then pack into columns to achieve two technical objectives: 1) separation recovery of SWCNT samples higher than 85%; 2) resolving in a single pass (9,1) and (6,5) chirality tubes from commercial SWCNT starting materials with narrow diameter distribution."
Narrowband Perfect Absorber using Metamaterials,W911NF-11-C-0257,DOD,CBD,SBIR,2011,1,149955.00,"Lumilant, Inc.","51 East Main Street, Suite 203",51 east main street suite 203b,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,(302) 456-9003,kelmelis@lumilant.com,Ahmed Sharkawy,CTO,(302) 456-9003,sharkawy.ahmed@gmail.com,"Hyperspectral imaging systems acquire the spatial and spectral information of the image scene simultaneously, and thus find important applications in remote sensing, military surveillance, and target identification. Most contemporary hyperspectral imaging systems operate at UV/VIS/NIR (ultra violet/visible/near infrared) spectrums. However, in many cases, especially in military applications, (hyper)-spectral sensing in the longer wavelengths range, such as middle wavelength IR (MWIR) or long wavelength IR (LWIR) spectrums, is of more interest. This is because long wavelengths electro-magnetic (EM) waves suffer less loss when penetrating through the contaminated atmospheric environment (fog, sand storm, dust, etc) of the battlefield. Moreover, presently there is a drive for putting these imaging systems on a wide range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) where their use depends on the characteristics of the many different surveillance and reconnaissance applications. The main discriminators are the operational flight duration and range, the altitude, and the payload capabilities. These features determine the feasible design of the sensor systems to be used on the platform."
Active Terahertz Imager for Covert Navigation Assist,W911W6-11-C-0012,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2010,1,69986.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,Chief Executive Officer,3024569003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Richard Martin,Chief Operating Officer,3024569003,martin@phasesensitiveinc.com,"The global war on terror has dramatically changed the environment in which today's warfighter operates. Many of the locations in theater require moving troops and equipment into areas with unimproved landing zones. Loss of situational awareness in degraded visual environments is one of the largest threats to rotary wing aircraft operating in these areas. Phase Sensitive Innovations has built a passive millimeter wave distributed aperture imaging (DAI) system operating that can image at 10 fps without any moving parts. The frequency of operation (and resultant resolution) of this system is currently limited by the practical availability of low noise amplifiers. We propose building a real time active ""see-through"" imaging system operating above 100 GHz leveraging the distributed aperture with optical up-conversion approach used in previous imagers. This system would use a broad band antenna design coupled with multiple active sources to tune the dust penetration (and covertness) and resolution for the situation, as well as mitigate coherent effects such as speckle. The DAI advantages of thin, lightweight, and conformable would allow for easier integration onto the aircraft. Finally, the optical upconversion allows for video rate capture of the THz scene on a standard near IR camera."
EW Countermeasures Against Passive MMW Sensors,N65538-10-M-0032,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2010,1,69943.00,Phase Sensitive Innovations,51 East Main Street,Suite 201,Newark,DE,19711-,No,No,No,Eric Kelmelis,CEO,3024569003,kelmelis@phasesensitiveinc.com,Christopher Schuetz,CTO,3024569003,schuetz@phasesensitiveinc.com,"We propose to use the open source rendering program Blender in combination with MATLAB to create a millimeter wave scene simulation program that will be specifically aimed at simulating ships in a nautical environment. We already possess relevant data from experiments performed at both Dahlgren and the Yuma Proving Grounds which has allowed us to identify the critical parameters necessary to create an accurate simulation program. In addition to past data, we also have access to passive millimeter-wave imagers that we can use to supplement our data and to validate any simulation program that we develop."
SBIR Phase I: Capital Structuring Decision Support,0945723,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2010,1,150000.00,CapSmart,PMB 6815,,Wilmington,DE,19808-1607,No,No,No,Peter F. Shannon,MS,7738377638,peter.f.shannon@gmail.com,Peter F. Shannon,MS,7738377638,peter.f.shannon@gmail.com,"This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will research and develop a software system to model the complex and varied rights structures used in private company finance. This system will show the behavior (such as the economic payouts to each stakeholder) of capital structures under various future funding and exit event scenarios. Sophisticated investors employ various securities in complex strategies, depending on the specific company, to balance exposures and maximize overall investment returns. Typically, these strategies are devised using custom built spreadsheet models that are opaque, analytically limited, and prone to undetected errors. When negotiating investment terms, this status quo puts company stakeholders who are less experienced with capital structuring strategies at a serious disadvantage.
This innovation research effort will build the mathematical core of a platform that will serve entrepreneurs, students, and investors to explore and build capital structures in a more instructive, transparent, and powerful way. The core platform will grow into a commercial subscription web application. Ultimately, a mature and widely-used platform for capital structuring will enable the industry to reduce unnecessary and stylistic complexity from capital structures, which in addition to obvious benefits will set the stage for new models of trade and exchange of private company ownership to emerge."
Innovative Approaches to the Fabrication of Composite Rotary Wing Main Rotor Blade Spars with Option,N68335-10-C-0116,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2010,2,745968.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark Gruber,Senior Partner,(302) 369-5390,mgruber@accudyne.com,Mark Gruber,Senior Partner,(302) 369-5390,mgruber@accudyne.com,"Sponsored by NAVAIR, Accudyne Systems completed a Phase 1 SBIR program, developing an equipment and process concept for cost-effective fabrication of composite rotary wing main rotor blade spars. The CH-53K spar was the study focus. The recommended work cell concept combines automated tape placement, woven fabric placement, and pick and place of 45 degree parallelograms to layup plies, then debulk and place packs for two spars fabricated in tandem. All composite material placement, vacuum bag material application, pack-to-tool debulking, and spar revolution is automated. This Phase 2 program develops the stations on the work cell machinery encompassing the material lay-up portion of the proposed work cell, and then demonstrates them for inclusion in a follow-on full design. Special attention will be paid to placing at rates high enough to allow fabrication of 200 spars per year (4 per week). In Phase 2, Accudyne proposes to complete a Requirements Document to detail requirements learned from NAVAIR, Sikorsky, and Hexcel. Then, Accudyne proposes to develop equipment and the process to demonstrate: 1) unidirectional tape placement into plies and on-line debulking to packs, 2) woven fabric placement into plies and on-line debulking to packs 3) bias parallelogram cut, pick, and place and debulking, 4) cutting of unidirectional tape, woven fabric, and bias parallelograms, and 5) a technical trade study encompassing throughput, tolerances, debulking, quality control, machine maintenance, risks, and final implementation. A final report describing the process, equipment, and trade study will conclude Phase 2. The Phase 2-Option program enhances bias ply placement to considerably accelerate spar fabrication. The enhancement is a 3-axis CNC-controlled ultrasonic knife to complete articulate cuts in the bias parallelograms that comprise the bias plies. The noteworthy benefit is that net shape bias packs can be fabricated with the wide ply down with no further cutting. It is intended that the Phase 2-Option run in concert with Phase 2 for maximum synergy."
RF Front End Based on MEMS Components for Miniaturized Digital EVA Radio,NNX10CE30P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2010,1,99970.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3022940116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Principal Investigator,3022940116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) detail the development of RF front end based on MEMS components for miniaturized digital EVA radio. Key innovations of our approach include: a) the use of a novel parallel receiver front end architecture based on MEMS components, b) a novel design of a high Q mixer-filter for RF mixing and IF filtering, and c) the implementation of band pass filter and voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) using CMOS fabrication technique. Consequently, the proposed EVA radio has the following merits: a)Small size, light- weight and low power consumption, b)High sensitivity and frequency selectivity, c)Good device reliability, and d)Easy device fabrication and low manufacturing cost."
A Novel Noninvasive Microwave Sensor for Quantitative Assessment of Degree of Sensitization in Marine Aluminum Alloys,N00014-10-C-0438,DOD,NAVY,STTR,2010,2,728179.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,(302) 294-0116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,(302) 998-1116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In phase I, we have proven the feasibility of using the microwave cavity perturbation technique to detect and quantify DoS in marine aluminum alloys. We implemented an alpha version sensor prototype, characterized and validated its performance using ASTM G67 method. We also identified methods to further enhance the sensor sensitivity, so that DoS in the low (a few mg/cm2) to moderate range can be accurately measured. Phase II will be focusing on the optimization of the sensor system to improve its performance in terms of sensitivity and dynamic range, and the implementation of a handheld, inexpensive and field testable prototype. Additionally, we will develop models to predict the IGSCC crack growth and the remaining service time of a sensitized marine aluminum alloy structure. Our approach to achieve these goals include: a) Enhance the sensor sensitivity with amplitude and phase measurements of the cavity resonance at higher microwave frequencies, b) High throughput mapping of sensitization levels across a large sample using a frequency hopping technique, c) Develop a coupling environment model to predict the IGSCC crack growth in sensitized marine aluminum alloys, and d) Implement data acquisition and signal processing function with a microcontroller to obtain a low cost handheld sensor."
A Novel Automated and Controlled Dual Laser Ablation System for Selective Removal of Thermal Barrier Coatings,FA8650-10-M-5124,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2010,1,99999.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3022940116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,3022940116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"Thermal barrier coatings have been widely used to provide thermal protection to superalloy components in gas turbine engines. After certain amount of service time, the coating experiences a reduction in thickness by processes such as wear, erosion and foreign/domestic object damage. When the thickness decreases below a critical value, the thermal barrier effect provided by the coating is no longer adequate, resulting in premature component failure. Repair and rework of such coatings typically require complete removal of the TBC. Currently, the TBC removal is done via a combination of autoclave, caustic and acidic solutions, and grit blast. Such a method is not selective and can not be easily controlled. In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the University of Michigan (UM) detail the development of a novel automated and controlled dual laser ablation system for selective TBC removal. With our approach, the merits of the proposed system has the following merits: a) Fast materials removal rate, b) Virtually no collateral damage to the bond coat and substrate, c) Capable of avoiding the cooling holes, d) Fully automatic process, and e) Suitable for a wide variety of coatings and substrates. BENEFIT: The most straightforward military application is to remove the thermal barrier coatings on the turbine engines for maintenance and repair. Since it allows fast materials removal and virtually no collateral damage to the bond coat and substrate, it can also be used to produce precise and superior quality cooling holes in the coating. Such a dual laser ablation system can also be used by commercial turbine engine manufacturers for similar purposes. Other than thermal barrier coatings, the final product can also be used in other materials and coating system, including primer, adhesive materials and paint. Furthermore, the fs- LIBS spectroscopy to be developed under the current program can reveal materials chemical compositions, and provide a virtually non- invasive method for chemical analysis. Therefore, it can be used in wide areas spanning from airport security and border security application(explosive, biological agent, illicit drug and landmine detection), environmental monitoring (soil contaminations, air or water quality surveillance), industrial processing by materials analysis (mineral resources, impurities, quality control, sorting), biomedical studies (teeth and bones), and art works analysis. The potential market for our proposed system is huge. We estimate that the potential market for the above- mentioned market sectors can easily exceed $100M."
"A Compact, Low Cost, Handheld Sensor for Non- Destructive Material Case Depth Verification",N68335-10-C-0577,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2010,1,80000.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3024680980,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,3029981116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. and the Center for Non-destructive Evaluations at Iowa State University detail the development of a compact, low cost handheld sensor for non-destructive material case depth verification. The key innovations of this proposal include the following: a) case depth evaluations based on electromagnetic property measurements, b) a model based alternating current potential drop (ACPD) method to obtain the electromagnetic property of case hardened parts, c) the design and implementation of miniature ACPD probes, d) high throughput scanning of case depths using a frequency hopping technique, and e) the implementation of a compact, low cost handheld measurement system with a microcontroller. With such innovations, the merits of the proposed sensor and its advantages over other techniques are listed below: a) Rugged, compact and low cost, b)Capable of measuring a wide variety of hardened parts with complex shapes, c) High sensitivity and large dynamic range, d) High throughput measurements, and e) Easy-to-use model based approach."
"Compact, Low Cost, MEMS Hotplate Sensors for Battery Offgassing Analysis",N65538-10-C-0037,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2010,1,80000.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3024680980,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,3029981116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, Alphasense Inc. and the Institute for MEMS and VLSI technologies at the George Washington University detail the development of compact, low cost MEMS microhotplate sensors for battery offgassing analysis. Key innovations of the proposed sensor include: a) the application of metal oxide coated microhotplates to ensure high sensitivity and stability, b) the application of a bi-layer structure and temperature modulation to enhance the sensor selectivity, c) the sol-gel sensor film fabrication process to substantially lower the manufacturing cost of a large sensor array; and d) the application of Principal Component Analysis(PCA) and Back Propagation Network (BPN) algorithms for pattern recognition and accurate determination of individual gas concentration. With these innovations, the proposed sensor will have the following merits: a) superior sensitivity and selectivity, b) capable of detecting a wide range of gas species of interest, c) compact and low cost, d) very low power consumption, e) standalone system, and f) robust and reliable in relatively harsh environment."
A Handheld Sensor for Amorphous Coating Integrity Evaluation,N10PC20074,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,2010,1,98997.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3022940116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,3022940116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"Under the DARPA sponsored Naval Advanced Amorphous Coating (NAAC) program, a novel, thermal sprayed amorphous metal coating has been developed. Such a coating has demonstrated superior mechanical and corrosion resistance properties. Although the coating is designed to be life-of-ship, the application and operational conditions may compromise the integrity of the coating. For example, the application parameters may not be appropriate to produce a fully amorphous structure. Overspray/unmelted particles can leave embedded oxide or particles within the coating, which will lead to coating surface corrosion. Even if the amorphous coating is successfully applied, the coating microstructure and the interconnect porosity may lead to a degraded coating/substrate interface, affecting the coating integrity. In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) detail the development of a novel noninvasive microwave sensor to evaluate the integrity of amorphous metal coating in real time. With our approach, the merits of the proposed sensor and its advantages over other techniques include: a) Rugged, handheld and low cost, b) Sensitive for defect detection, c) Capable of detecting defects in different forms, d) Noninvasive, e) Real- time analysis capability, and f) Easy and safe to the operators."
DIPAIN-Based Handheld Assay for the Detection of T-2 Toxin in Water Using a Handheld Reader,W911SR-10-C-0062,DOD,ARMY,STTR,2010,1,99939.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Robert Daniel,Sr. VP of Government Contracts,3022831730,robert@anptinc.com,Yli Remo Vallejo,VP of R&D,3022831730,yli@anptinc.com,"A rapid assay for the detection of T2 trichothecene mycotoxin in water is proposed that will use ANP Technology, Inc.'s established handheld reader and rapid acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor test ticket format. Dipain-II and other candidate Dipain derivatives will be immobilized on cellulose and other solid supports mounted as discs in wells on the existing test ticket, similar to the AChE inhibitor ticket which uses a cellulose support for an enzyme substrate. The fluorescent signal emitted when the association complex of Dipain-II and T2 is formed can be measured by ANP's handheld reader by changing the light source to an LED at or near 366 nm output. The current camera onboard can measure the resultant yellow orange emission. A time to result of ~10 seconds with a sensitivity to as low as 50 ng/mL is expected. The ticket will use a built in comparator so that it is self-calibrating."
Characterization Of Noise And Detectivity Of Nano-BiCMOS Photo-Detectors,W15P7T-10-C-S004,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2010,1,69979.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Sean Wang,CTO,3023687824,jdwright@tda.com,Jie Yao,Principal Scientist,3023687824,jiey@bwtek.com,"Low light level visible and infrared imaging has significant importance in military surveillance and target recognition. Our newly developed low-light-level nano-BiCMOS silicon photo-detector has been experimentally proven to consistently deliver in-pixel high-gain amplification to boost external quantum efficiency and photo current signal without increased dark current. The same class of detector is expected cover near infrared as well as the visible spectrum. The resulting semiconductor-based camera will enjoy at least 20-year lifetime, fieldable ruggedness, light weight and small size of a consumer camcorder. In Phase I we will perform detailed instrumentation and characterization of the room-temperature dark current noises of our nano-BiCMOS photo-detector and deduce its detectivity D*. In Phase II we will prototype and characterize a complete silicon nano-BiCMOS camera system, which will be delivered to DoD Labs for evaluation and demonstration. Noise and detectivity D* will be characterized in detail. During Phase III, we will manufacture and market the proposed camera to defense contractors for incorporation into military systems and for our own Raman spectroscopy products."
Nano-Passivation of GaSb/InAs Strained Layer Superlattices Infrared Detector,W909MY-10-C-0024,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2010,2,729982.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Sean Wang,CTO,(302) 368-7824,swang@bwtek.com,Jie Yao,Principal Scientist,(302) 368-7824,jiey@bwtek.com,"Long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) imaging has significant importance in military surveillance and target recognition, since human body radiation peaks in LWIR. Despite the enhanced wavelength coverage, the GaSb/InAs type-II Strained Layer Superlattice (SLS) detector still exhibits relatively high surface leakage current and its associated noises. With an industrially proven nano-material, we propose the nano-passivation of GaSb/InAs SLS and photodetector. The proposed solid-state nano-passivation technology is completely compatible with array integration. The resulting focal plane array (FPA) will have 15 micron or smaller pixel pitch, targeted 99.9% operable pixels, and 90% fill factor for greater than 50% external quantum efficiency. With minimized surface dark current, the SLS noise mechanisms will no longer be dominated by surface dark current at 77K. The nano-passivation layer will also have high device lifetime. Based on the proven feasibility of nano-passivation to minimize pixel dark current during Phase I, in Phase II we will design, fabricate and demonstrate a prototype large format reduced pixel pitch SLS FPA imager, which will be delivered to DoD Labs for evaluation and demonstration. During Phase III, we will manufacture and market the proposed camera to defense contractors for incorporation into military systems and for our own infrared spectroscopy products."
Energy efficient process for solvent extraction of oil from microalgae using green solvents,,DOE,DOE,STTR,2010,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Praveen Kosaraju,Dr.,3029997996,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"Solvent extraction by hexane is the most common choice for extraction of oil/lipids from algae. However, hexane is not the best choice of solvent for algae oil extraction because of the need to market byproducts for human and animal consumption. Oil and hexane from the solvent extraction process are separated by distillation/evaporation which is an energy intensive operation. Presence of explosive hexane vapors in the oil processing plant is also a serious safety concern. Extraction of algae oil with alcohols (e.g. ethanol) will eliminate the emission and toxicity issues. However, energy consumption for alcohol recovery/separation is significantly high because alcohols boil at higher temperature and latent heat of alcohols is 2-2.5 times higher than hexane. Compact Membrane Systems"
Surface Enhanced Biocompatible Blood Oxygenators,1R43HL096196-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2010,1,127123.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,,rtierney@compactmembrane.com,Daniel Campos,,,,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. proposes to develop novel blood oxygenator membranes with enhanced blood biocompatibility. These will be used to enhance conventional cardio bypass surgery minimizing post operative effect
s. In addition, they will provide a key element for long term blood oxygenation associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and artificial lungs. Membrane based blood oxygenators are successfully used for cardi
opulmonary by-pass surgery. A number of programs are evaluating long-term membrane based blood oxygenators for artificial lungs and acute respiratory distress syndrome. For both short-term use and long-term use, there is a need for enhanced blood compatibl
e surfaces. Examples of two coating systems that are presently used to enhance blood compatibility are Avecor's Trillium and Medtronic's Carmeda. While both of these systems have some success in enhancing blood compatibility, the success is limited. These
systems tend to reduce gas (oxygen) flux and most importantly are prone to wetting out. Materials and devices that contact blood, such as blood tubing, dialysis membranes and blood oxygenators, require blood compatibility of the component materials. This i
ncludes consideration of the protein and cellular systems of the blood. Proper control of surface chemistry can enhance biocompatibility. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) has significant expertise in this area. A family of non-porous membranes with exc
ellent gas transport that allows the use of a non-porous membrane to provide the needed wet out resistance for long term blood oxygenation while maintaining high gas transport has been developed by CMS. These membranes will now be used as the building bloc
k for enhancing biocompatibility. The net result will be a blood oxygenation membrane with the following features: gas flux comparable to micro porous polypropylene; wet out resistance of a non-porous membrane; and, excellent blood biocompatibility. This w
ork will focus on enhancing the biocompatibility of blood oxygenators by controlling surface chemistry. The technology developed should allow similar developments on hemodialysis membranes and also working with polymerization of heparin to the surface of m
embranes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. proposes to develop novel blood oxygenator membranes with enhanced blood biocompatibility. These will be used to enhance conventional cardio bypass surgery minimizing post operative e
ffects. In addition, they will provide a key element for long term blood oxygenation associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and artificial lungs."
Recovery Act - Scale-Up of Nano-Catalyst Membrane Reactors,02-10ER85632,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Andrew Feiring,Dr.,3029997996,afeiring@compactmembrane.com,"DOE-ITP Nanomanufacturing Initiative has given high priority to commercializing catalysts for chemical industries. There is ongoing need to develop low cost manufacturing infrastructure to support this objective. Using commercially available nanoparticles and related commercial materials, CMS will fabricate and demonstrate enhanced nanoparticle catalysis. Since all components are commercial scale-up of process is straightforward. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Improve chemical reaction rate and yield of key chemical products and also reduce the energy costs associated with separating catalyst from reactants and products."
Recovery Act - Novel Membrane Reactor for the Manufacture and Purification of THF,02-10ER85635,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Daniel Campos,Dr.,3029997996,dcampos@compactmembrane.com,"This project will develop a unique membrane reactor system for the production of tetrahydrofuran. In 2004 about 200 million kg of tetrahydrofuran were produced. The most widely used industrial manufacturing process for this chemical involves the acid-catalyzed dehydration of 1,4-butanediol. In many applications tetrahydrofuran is used as a solvent, but is sought primarily as a precursor to polytetramethylene ether glycol, a polyether polyol that serves as the backbone for a number of high volume performance polymers, including polyols, copolyester ethers, elastomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes, and spandex fibers. This project addresses the development of an integrated membrane reactor and process for converting 1,4-butanediol to tetrahydrofuran and removing the water produced from the reaction resulting in high purity tetrahydrofuran. The membrane process will produce this product dried to the required purity specification. Evaluation of both first generation and second generation chemically- and thermally resistant membrane materials to enhance the chemical process will be addressed. The membrane product can operate at high temperatures and has the requisite chemical resistance to withstand exposure to these chemicals while removing the water of reaction and enhancing the conversion of interest. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The proposed process will increase the reaction rate while reducing separation steps, which will result in significantly reduced capital and operating costs compared to the conventional process. This avoids the significant extra energy required for removal of the byproduct water by azeotropic distillation. It is estimated that several million dollars can be saved in energy costs alone with the elimination of the azeotropic distillation of the reaction product. Other important savings are expected in reduced reactor size based on increased reaction kinetics with immediate product water removal in the reactor. While the program is clearly focused on facilitating water removal from the reaction of interest, this is a platform technology which can serve many areas, such as the drying of alcohols and other azeotropes, drying of other organics, drying of process fluids and water removal to enhance chemical reactions. This technology once developed will serve as a platform technology for other processes where water is produced as a byproduct of the basic chemical reaction."
Recovery Act - Novel Membrane Reactor for the Manufacture and Purification of THF,02-10ER85635,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,2,998192.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Daniel Campos,Dr.,3029997996,dcampos@compactmembrane.com,"The conventional process for making dry tetrahydrofuran is very energy intensive because of the need for azeotropic distillation. Substituting distillation by membrane drying can reduce the energy consumption for heating by a factor of 50. A membrane based process for purifying tetrahydrofuran with 98% less energy consumption than with a conventional azeotropic distillation process has been demonstrated. In addition, the use of a super acid catalyst that is at least seven times more efficient in driving the butanediol to tetrahydrofuran reaction than mineral acid catalysts was proven. These catalytic groups can be attached to the membrane. Therefore the membrane reactor catalyst is not corrosive and there is no need for additional processes to separate it from the reactants or products. Feasibility was shown for all key aspects of the Phase I program. Enhanced performance based on identifying and developing a whole new family of custom perfluoropolymers for both enhancing tetrahydrofuran synthesis and more broadly addressing key membrane needs of the Department of Energy has been demonstrated. Optimize and scale up the membrane catalyst and fabrication of pilot-scale membrane modules will be completed. Pilot tests will demonstrate module performance, ruggedness and durability. The modules will also be tested and demonstrated in the field in partnership with a pharmaceutical company that uses tetrahydrofuran as a solvent. Detailed engineering/economic analysis will demonstrate very significant savings in energy, operating and capital costs of the catalytic membrane process for making and purifying tetrahydrofuran over the conventional system using mineral acid catalysts and isotropic distillation. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Besides tetrahydrofuran, there are many organic chemicals that require acid catalysts for its manufacture. Hence, this is a platform technology. Its success will have a significant impact related to major energy savings in industrial processes using new membrane processes to dewater organic chemicals like tetrahydrofuran and acid catalysts needed to drive reactions that produce water, e.g., butanediol to tetrahydrofuran+water. Specific program focus will be on the reduction of costs for making high purity organic chemicals. Estimated payback time is less than 1 year."
Recovery Act - Novel Membranes for Dehydration of Organic and Inorganic Acids,02-10ER85633,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Praveen Kosaraju,Dr.,3029997996,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"Distillation is a very valuable chemical engineering unit operation but is energy intensive and capital intensive. This is especially true for removing water from organic and inorganic acids where components either form azeotropes or have small relative volatility differences. With a hybrid robust membrane process we can eliminate azeotropes and process pinch points. By using chemically and thermally stable high flux membranes for hybrid process we provide a platform technology which can be used for solving many distillation problems. Preliminary lab and economical evaluations suggest our recently identified novel membrane is superior to existing commercial technology. In Phase-I we will evaluate nitric acid drying which is a difficult distillation. We will demonstrate our novel membrane's ability to complete the difficult distillation separation in an energy and cost effective manner. We will also demonstrate the membranes capability to be made cost effectively. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Distillation is the largest and most capital and energy intensive unit operation in the chemical industry. If this programs technology platform is successful, our membranes will be able to reduce energy and capital costs associated with azeotropic distillation of inorganic and organic acids, and other difficult distillation separations."
Novel Ethanol Dehydration Membranes,DE-FG02-09ER85314,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,2,992265.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Dan Campos,Dr.,3029997996,dcampos@compactmembrane.com,"There continues to be a need for production of fuel-grade ethanol from renewable sources. Ethanol from agricultural sources has many advantages including development of fuel independence. While there continues to be a significant need for ethanol, the cost of agricultural based ethanol is quite severe although existing and new legislation provides significant incentives for its use. This program addresses novel routes to enhance the low-cost production by means of a novel water-ethanol separation membrane and process. The proposed membrane process for small plants should be of great value in increasing capacity and/or reducing energy consumption for ethanol plants. Membrane processes are ideal for small applications. Existing biomass-to-ethanol plants are at 40 million gallons per year or greater and very few are at 10 million gallons per year. A membrane process would be the most advantageous route for operation of small scale plants. Membrane processes are ideal at removing the minor component. A membrane that preferentially removes water would be ideal for final drying of highly concentrated streams such as 60-90% ethanol. The membrane and system ability to economically dry bioethanol in both existing and new bioethanol plants was demonstrated. Savings for existing plants was projected at $0.22/gal and $0.08/gal for a greenfield plant. This program demonstrates broad value for the membrane platform to be responsive to DOE"
Novel Membranes for Enhancing Value of Bio-Oil,DE-FG02-09ER85315,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,2,989128.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Praveen Kosaraju,Dr.,3029997996,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"Bio-oil is a liquid fuel made from biomass such as wood chips and low grade wood byproducts by fast pyrolysis process. Presence of carboxylic acids in raw-bio-oil makes the bio-oil very acidic and corrosive. Raw bio-oil has low heating value primarily because of its high water content (up to 35 %). Oligomerization aldehydes and other compounds with an unsaturated carbon bond in raw bio-oil results in increased viscosity with aging/storage. To summarize, quality and stability of raw bio-oil has to be improved in order to use bio-oil as a fuel in engines, gas turbines and boilers, and as a refinery feedstock to produce transport fuel. A membrane separation process will be developed to remove all the undesirable compounds, water, carboxylic acids and aldehydes from bio-oil to substantially improve its quality and stability. Economics of this novel membrane separation process will be superior to the alternative bio-oil treatment technologies. Novel membranes were developed to remove undesirable compounds from raw bio-oil. By removing undesirable compounds, water, carboxylic acids and aldehydes, from bi-oil, its stability and quality was improved substantially. The novel membrane separating process is highly economical and its payback time was estimated at less than a month. Membrane and membrane separation process will be first optimized to enhance its separation performance. Then, a prototype device will be built to perform the long-term stability studies and field evaluation. Based on these results, engineering and economic analysis of the membrane separation system will be carried out for bio-oil treatment. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Bio-oil is renewable, sustainable, and environmentally benign. Bio-oil upgraded in quality and stability could ultimately reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Bio-oil production plants could provide jobs along with a badly needed market for the timber industry"
Recovery Act - Recovery of Solvent from Solvent-Deasphalting Process by Novel Solvent-Resistant Nanofiltration Membranes,02-10ER85634,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Praveen Kosaraju,Dr.,3029997996,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"In crude oil refining, asphaltenes are removed from heavy oil fractions to upgrade the quality of oil by solvent-deasphalting process. Solvents used in the solvent deasphalting process are recovered by either flash evaporation or super critical extraction. These conventional solvent recovery processes are highly energy intensive because of the phase change involved in the separation process. The conventional solvent recovery processes are also capital intensive. Based on our experience with chemically resistant membranes, Compact Membrane Systems proposes to develop solvent-resistant nanofiltration membranes to recover solvents from the solvent deasphalting process. In nanofiltration, driven by applied pressure gradient, solvent permeates through NF membrane retaining high molecular weight compounds such as oil. Nanofiltration is a highly energy efficient technology compared to distillation/evaporation because of the fact that nanofiltration does not involve any phase change during the separation process. Preliminary lab and economical evaluations suggest that our novel nanofiltration membrane technology is superior to existing commercial technologies. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Benefits of developing the proposed NF technology come from energy and capital savings by replacing the conventional technologies such as distillation and super critical extraction. If successful at developing NF membranes with superior solvent flux, oil retention, and thermal and chemical stability, it will have significant impact related to energy savings in many of the industrial processes using distillation. Specific focus of the program will be on reducing costs of solvent recovery from solvent deasphalting process."
Low Cost Fuel Grade Ethanol,,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2010,2,400000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Chairperson,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,The membrane drying process for ethanol plants should be of great value in increasing capacity and/or reducing energy consumption for existing ethanol plants. We will manufacture modules of the novel membrane with a commercial partner. A pilot demonstration unit will be constructed and deployed at an actual ethanol plant for demonstrating the membrane process capabilities and advantages.
Improved Hydrogen Purification,DE-FG02-10ER85923,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Industrial hydrogen production relies primarily on natural gas and hydrocarbon feedstocks to drive the various reaction chemistries that lead to hydrogen generation. Carbon dioxide, the ultimate co-product when such feedstocks and processes are employed, necessarily becomes a major contaminant of the generated hydrogen. Thus, carbon dioxide isolation and removal is an important process step in the efficient, low cost purification and recovery of hydrogen from the intermediate reformed and synthesis gases. A new proprietary, chemically resistant and highly durable membrane developed in this project promises to improve the separation efficiency and to dramatically reduce energy requirements for the separation of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The proposed membrane and process also addresses the ease of isolating carbon dioxide for efficient capture and sequestration. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Besides the hydrogen generation processes mentioned already, the new membrane promises to have broad application in the hydrogen economy, hydrogen processing, synthesis gas production, hydrotreating, and sulfur removal processes. Improvements in hydrogen purification and separation efficiencies and the ready isolation of a concentrated carbon dioxide co-product will have traceable, direct benefits in emissions reductions, energy independence, and carbon management."
Enhancing Biosynthesis of Biofuels from Cellulosic Biomass (Topic 8.8),,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2010,1,90000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Chairperson,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"This program will provide low cost routes for biosynthesis of these and many other organics. Using biomass for production of fuels and chemical provides for a domestic, renewable and green route to address our fuel and chemical needs. This program provides a simple and inexpensive route for generating these domestic and renewable products"
Novel Membranes for Olefin/Paraffin Separation,DE-FG02-10ER85924,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2010,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3025596764,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,Dr.,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"Ethylene and propylene are major chemical industry raw materials and consume a great deal of energy related to their production. Significant energy consumption is employed when cryogenically separating ethane from ethylene and propane from propylene. These cryogenic separations are difficult and are both capital and energy intensive. Membrane processes have been previously evaluated for separating ethylene/ethane or propylene/propane. While somewhat encouraging results have been demonstrated, stability problems have led to systems that have been unable to maintain performance. In many cases the use of silver (Ag+) salts were used to preferentially transport the ethylene or propylene. It is proposed to combine the stability features and high gas transport of Compact Membrane Systems"
"Low Cost, Low Weight Composite Structure using Out-Of-Autoclave (OOA) Technology",N68335-10-C-0159,DOD,DOD,SBIR,2010,2,595981.00,Kubota Research Associates,100 Hobson Drive,,Hockessin,DE,-,No,No,No,Masanori Kubota,President&CEO,(302) 683-0199,kubota@kubotaresearch.com,Masanori Kubota,President&CEO,(302) 683-0199,kubota@kubotaresearch.com,"This SBIR Phase II proposal develops an innovative PTIR adhesive and process for bonding stud fasteners to composite surfaces in aircraft manufacturing and repair. The PTIR adhesive formulation has a low concentration of infrared emitter/absorber dispersed in a thermoset epoxy adhesive paste. The PTIR adhesive paste is applied to the base of a stud fastener and the stud is irradiated using a P-Wave near-infrared radiation unit to uniformly heat the fastener base, adhesive and glass/epoxy composite substrate and form a strong bond between the stud and the substrate. Phase II will design and build a P-Wave radiation system with waveguide and thermal feedback controller for use to irradiate and bond the stud while holding with a vacuum holding fixture. Thermal analysis and mechanical testing of candidate PTIR adhesive and substrate materials will define process conditions to rapidly cure the adhesive and with bonding strength that equivalent to the benchmark adhesive performance at a processing temperature below the substrate surface degradation limit. The PTIR adhesive formulation, P-Wave unit, holding fixture and PTIR OOA process will be scaled up to demonstrate high speed stud fastener bonding for aircraft manufacture and repair."
Metallic Encapsulation of Ceramic Tile Arrays,W911QX-11-C-0033,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2010,1,69432.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael K. Aghajanian,"VP, Product Development",3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Michael K. Aghajanian,"VP, Product Development",3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,"The Army is in need of an improved armor solution for ground vehicles that possesses modularity, reduced weight, attractive cost, high ballistic resistance, durability, and tolerance to environmental affects. To meet this need, the use of large panels made by casting metal around an array of ceramic tiles is proposed. Such a product will possess high mass efficiency due to the presence of the ceramic tiles, will have high durability due to the presence of the metal surround, and will have attractive cost due to the casting process. Moreover, significant opportunity exists to optimize such products (e.g., by choice of metal type, ceramic type, ceramic size and shape, etc.). From work in other areas (e.g., MMCs), M Cubed has significant skills with metal to ceramic wetting and bonding. This knowledge will be used on the present program to allow the development and production of high performance ceramic/metal macro-composites with excellent interfacial bond strength and structural integrity. A four task Phase I program is proposed, namely (1) research with cast metal encapsulation of ceramics, (2) process development, scale-up and testing, (3) manufacture of two deliverable 26"" x 26"" armor arrays, and (4) generate cost model."
28GHz-43GHz Nadir/Near-Nadir (~70-90 degrees wrt horizontal) Low Probability of Intercept Radio Frequency Direction Finding/GeoLocation Capability,N68335-10-C-0571,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2010,1,80000.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,3023799808,jrlin@spectrum-magnetics.com,Stoyan Stoyanov,Senior Research Scientist,3029931070,stoyan@spectrum-magnetics.com,"In this NAVY SBIR Phase I program, we propose a radio frequency (RF) direction finding sensor for low probability of intercept (LPI) RF radar system. This sensor consists of a dielectric fisheye lenses and an innovative focus plane detector array (FPDA). The fisheye lenses, as a RF antenna, have been broadly used in camera and electronic-optical systems (from visible to infrared wavelength). In this program, using dielectric materials such as teflon or sapphire, we will fabricate fisheye lenses operable in RF/millimeter wave regions. The lenses can project the RF signal over a semi-sphere onto its focus plane. A novel FPDA based on emerging spintronic devices, with each element being much smaller than 0.1 mm, will accurately detect the diffracted field distribution produced by the lenses. The center of the distribution is related to the direction of the incident waves. The direction can thus be extracted from the position of the distribution in the focus plane and parameters of the fisheye lenses."
SBIR Phase I:Electromagnetic Pulse Sensors Based on Magnetic Nanowire Arrays,1013468,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2010,1,149974.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Hao Zhu,MS,3023799822,hzhu@spectrum-magnetics.com,Hao Zhu,MS,3023799822,hzhu@spectrum-magnetics.com,"This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop novel field detectors and memory devices capable of detecting magnetic field of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The sensor is made of magnetic nanowire arrays consisting of magnetic nanowires embedded in an insulating matrix, and is able to memorize the incoming rf magnetic field pulse as short as 100ps and survive in an extreme EMP environment with fields as large as 2MV/m. Due to the passive operation mode, it can record rf field without electrical power. The recorded signal can then be read out during the power-on stage. The material system also shows other interesting phenomena such as tunable ferromagnetic resonant (FMR) frequency. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the concept of using magnetic nanowire arrays to detect EMP. Specifically, issues including the stability of field detector in a microwave field and the response time will be addressed.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project arises from the rich phenomena exhibited by the magnetic nanowire array, each leading to a class of applications. The ?memory effect? leads to EMP sensors and potential applications in radio frequency identification (RFID) applications. The tunable FMR feature can be used to construct tunable rf circulators/isolators and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. The high magnetic permeability in GHz range can be used as antenna substrates on which miniaturized antenna can be fabricated."
Generating Autoclave-Level Mechanical Properties with Out-of-Autoclave Thermoplastic Placement of Large Composite Aerospace Structures,NNX09CB71C,NASA,NASA,STTR,2009,2,599487.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark Gruber,Business Official,3023695390,,Mark Gruber,Principal Investigator,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,"While in the 1970's and 1980's, composites were adopted for aerospace structure for increased performance and weight savings, the 1990's and 2000's witnessed the attention towards cost-effective fabrication. All thermoset processes that utilize such machines rely on autoclaves to consolidate the laminates, at significant acquisition and operational expense. Autoclaves to consolidate wings are hugely expensive. Autoclaves for fuselages are nearly cost-prohibitive (only one exists). Autoclaves for the Ares V do not exist. The marketplace would welcome a proven out-of-autoclave fabrication technology.
The tasks in the ASI/UD-CCM STTR phase 1 was to assess the performance of the current TP-ATP heads, do a model based parametric study to determine possible head and process parameter changes and demonstrate an improved understanding of the head, with a goal of autoclave level properties.
A set of models for the in situ Automated Tow/Tape Placement (ATP) processes that capture the important process phenomena were developed by UD-CCM. Accudyne then measured the laminate roughness, fabricated samples using a variety of conditions and tested the samples. Testing of the laminates indicate: placing with flat tape and using improved head chilling increases mechanical properties. Compacting with only a ýý load reduces properties. Using a vacuum bag oven reconsolidation is ineffective, and even reduces mechanical properties.
The phase 2 program innovation is to develop and deploy University of Delaware process models to Accudyne's thermoplastic tow and tape placement head to remedy the mechanical property shortfall between the two fabrication processes used to manufacture large composite aerospace structure important to NASA. An additional advantage that would accrue by adopting TP-ATP would be the use of novel thermoplastic materials with thermal stability and toughness far in excess of what thermosetting materials can achieve."
A Novel Noninvasive Microwave Sensor for Quantitative Assessment of Degree of Sensitization in Marine Aluminum Alloys,N00014-09-M-0346,DOD,NAVY,STTR,2009,1,70000.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3022940116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,3022940116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) detail the development of a novel noninvasive microwave sensor to quantify the DoS in marine aluminum alloys. The key innovations of this proposal include the following: a) DoS quantifications based on the correlation between the surface resistivity with the microstructures of the aluminum alloys, b) measurements of the surface resistivity with highly sensitive microwave cavity perturbation technique, and c) the implementation of a compact and portable sensor system. With such innovations, the merits of the proposed sensor and its advantages over other techniques include: a) Rugged, compact and low cost, b) Sensitive for DoS quantification, c) Noninvasive, d) Real- time analysis capability, and e) Easy and safe to the operators."
A Novel Microwave Sensor for Non- Destructive Evaluation of Silicon Nitride Bearing Balls,FA8650-09-M-2989,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2009,1,99999.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3029993422,defran@spiritech.cc,Pengcheng Lv,Fuel Specialist,3022940116,nick.pearson@spiritech.cc,"In this proposal, Alphasense, Inc. details the development of a novel microwave NDE sensor for defect inspections in silicon nitride bearing balls. The key innovations of this proposal include the following: a) the use of the spherical bearing ball as a dielectric resonator, thus enabling us to correlate the resonance characteristics of the bearing ball with various defects; b) the measurements in the microwave region lead to very large penetration depth (several inches) in the bearing balls, allowing us to inspect defects at a large depth below the surface, not just the surface/subsurface defects, and c) the applications of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) facilitate automatic classification of the defect types. With such innovations, the merits of the proposed sensor and its advantages over other techniques include: a) Rugged, compact and low cost, b) Sensitive for defect inspections, c) Capable of detecting below surface defects, d) Suitable for a variety of defects, e) Real- time detection capability, and f) Easy and safe to the operators. BENEFIT: The outcome of this research is coupled to a very clear commercialization path. The most straightforward application for the proposed sensor is to detect defects in silicon nitride bearing balls used in hybrid bearings for aerospace and defense industries. Our sensor can also be used to detect defects in bearing balls made of other ceramic and plastic materials, such as zirconia, alumina, and acrylic. Bearings made of such materials have been widely used in automobile, medical, chemical and petroleum industry. A simple search on the Globalspec returns with around 500 U.S. manufacturers producing ball bearings, more than 100 companies producing ceramic bearing balls, and more than 2000 companies producing plastic bearing balls. Assume each of these companies need two sensor units for the quality check, the total demand in the U.S. alone will be 5200 units. This corresponds to a market size of ~$15.6 million if we can sell our sensor at a price of $3000/unit. Additionally, spherical and cylindrical dielectrics can be used as microwave filters and ultrahigh efficiency modulators. Our sensor may also find applications in the quality assurance of such critical microwave components."
Innovative Real Time Probes for Plastic Bonded Exp,W15QKN-10-C-0014,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2009,1,70000.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3029981116,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,3029981116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. proposes to develop an innovative real time probe for online monitoring of plastic bonded explosive manufacturing process. Key innovations of the proposed sensor probe include: a) the use of a white light interferometer (WLI) to form real time images of the particles for accurate particle size measurements, and b) the use of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) based devices for viscosity and water content measurements. With these innovations, the proposed sensor probe will have the following merits: 1) Simple, compact, and low cost, 2) Capable of providing all the necessary information, 3) High sensitivity, 4) Large dynamic range, 5) Superior stability, and 6) Automatic data acquisition and easy interpretation."
A New Approach to Diamond-Based High Heat Load Monochromators,DE-FG02-09ER85271,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2009,1,99003.00,"Applied Diamond, Inc.",3825 Lancaster Pike,,Wilmington,DE,19805-1558,No,No,No,Peter Morton,Dr.,3029997476,pete@ddk.com,Joseph Tabeling,Dr.,3029991132,services@usapplieddiamond.com,"Several hundred beam lines are used around the world at today¿s third-generation synchrotron facilities. These facilities must deal with monochromator-based performance problems due to high heat load. Many have resorted to the use of costly, complicated, high maintenance cryogenic cooling of silicon crystals. Single crystal diamond monochromators present an advantage over the silicon crystals currently in use because of their far superior thermal properties and increased strength. The use of diamond monochromators would (1) allow the use of simpler, more reliable, and more cost effective water-cooled systems; (2) enable operation of two or more simultaneous beam lines, thereby doubling the available beam time; and (3) improve the quality of monochromatic X-ray beams (e.g., beam stability and focus). This project will design, build, and test a method of using more plentiful, smaller, and less expensive single crystals of suitable quality, by mounting them to large slabs of polycrystalline diamond. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee By making diamond monochromators more plentiful, expensive cryogenic cooling systems could be replaced by simpler water-cooled systems. Then, beam multiplexing would become possible. DOE accelerator facilities and their users would be the primary beneficiaries of this technology. An increased availability of synchrotron beams with high flux would accelerate the study of protein structure, interstellar matter, and material properties."
Nano-Passivation of GaSb/InAs Strained Layer Superlattices Infrared Detector,W15P7T-09-C-S613,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2009,1,69759.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Sean X. Wang,CTO,3023687824,swang@bwtek.com,Jie Yao,Principal Scientist,3023687824,jiey@bwtek.com,"Mid-infrared (MWIR, wavelength ~10 micron) imaging has significant importance in military surveillance and target recognition, since human body radiation peaks in MWIR. The GaSb/InAs type-II Strained Layer Superlattice (SLS) MWIR detector has been under intensive investigation recently. While much progress has been made to enhance wavelength coverage, one of the few remaining issues has been its relatively high surface leakage current and its associated noises. With a proven nano-material, we propose the nano-passivation of GaSb/InAs SLS and photodetector. The proposed solid-state nano-passivation technology will be completely compatible with array integration. The resulting focal plane array (FPA) will have minimized surface dark current, 15 micron or smaller pixel pitch, and 90% fill factor for high quantum efficiency. The nano-passivation layer will also have high device lifetime. In Phase I we will prove the feasibility of nano-passivation to minimize pixel dark current. In Phase II we will develop and prototype a complete FPA based on GaSb/InAs SLS, which will be delivered to DoD Labs for evaluation and demonstration. During Phase III, we will manufacture and market the proposed camera to defense contractors for incorporation into military systems and for our own infrared spectroscopy products."
Low Light Level Silicon-Germanium Nano-BiCMOS Infrared Camera,W15P7T-09-C-S614,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2009,1,69928.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Sean X. Wang,CTO,3023687824,swang@bwtek.com,Jie Yao,Principal Scientist,3023687824,jiey@bwtek.com,"Low light level infrared imaging has significant importance in military surveillance and target recognition. The proposed broadband low-light-level nano-BiCMOS camera covers visible and near infrared bands from 400 nm to 1,550 nm wavelengths. With a proven nano-technology, the proposed nano-BiCMOS photo-detector solves this long-standing tradeoff between quantum efficiency and dark current by in-pixel amplification to boost external quantum efficiency and photo current signal by 1,000x (target 6,000x). The resulting infrared camera will achieve approximately 100% amplified external quantum efficiency even at 1,550 nm. The camera shall operate at as fast as 1,000 frames/second with >=1 Mega pixel resolution. The entire semiconductor-based camera will enjoy 20-year lifetime, fieldable ruggedness, light weight and small size of a consumer camcorder. In Phase I we will prove the feasibility of germanium layer on silicon sensitive to 1,550 nm infrared with low dark current. In Phase II we will develop and prototype a complete Si-Ge nano-BiCMOS camera system, which will be delivered to DoD Labs for evaluation and demonstration. During Phase III, we will manufacture and market the proposed camera to defense contractors for incorporation into military systems and for our own Raman spectroscopy products."
Venting of Underground Storage Tanks Containing Ethanol-Gasoline Blends,,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2009,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,John J. Bowser,President,3029997996,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,"Fugitive emissions of VOCs from gasoline marketing facilities are an energy, safety and environmental issue. All new vehicles made after the year 2000 must have an Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery System (ORVR) which increase fugitive emissions of refueling stations because of interface between ORVR vehicles and gasoline station underground storage systems (UST). The increase of VOCs is attributed to ingestion of fresh air into the UST mixing with the gasoline causing an approximate 40% vapor growth. This growth increases UST pressure and vents VOCs into atmosphere. With recent federal initiatives for renewable energy, bio-ethanol may represent upwards of 30% of our fuel supply. Blending ethanol with gasoline would increase the evaporative emission of VOCs from UST as the vapor pressure of gasoline is elevated by the addition of ethanol. Further, ethanol absorbs water easily and water can cause ethanol to phase separate from gasoline. Therefore in any membrane venting process it is desirable for any water present to vent with the air and not stay with the fuel. Conventional VOC permeating membranes (silicone rubber) concentrate water and fuel together. This program develops a novel perfluoropolymer membrane that allows for rapid venting of air and water while retaining gasoline and ethanol in the UST. This membrane system will have chemical resistance to gasoline and ethanol and represent a simple single stage unit operation versus alternative technologies that are more complex."
Solvent recovery from vegetable oil miscella by novel solvent-resistant nanofiltration membranes,,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2009,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Praveen Kosaraju,Research Engineer,3029997996,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"Vegetable oil is commonly extracted from oil seeds using hexane. Separation of oil and solvent (hexane) from this extracted mixture (known as miscella) is usually carried out by solvent evaporation or distillation. Solvent recovery from miscella consumes about 50% of the total energy required for the edible oil production. Solvent evaporation is an energy intensive operation and explosive vapors in the vegetable oil plant also increase a safety problem. These limitations can be significantly overcome by employing nanofiltration membranes for separation of oil and solvent. However, the solvent stable-nanofiltration membranes that were available generally had low solvent flux and/or poor separation characteristics and long-term stability. Hydrocarbon-based and Polydimethylsiloxane-based nanofiltration membranes swell in organic solvents, leading to drastic performance loss. Therefore, there exists a need for solvent-resistant nanofiltration membranes available on a commercial scale with superior solvent flux and oil retention for recovery of solvent from miscella. If successful, this project will provide a highly energy-efficient technology for pre-concentration of vegetable oil miscella. Development of this technology will simultaneously address the issues of safety and hazardous solvent emissions that are encountered in the vegetable oil processing industry."
New Fabrication Technique for Ultrathin Membranes,DE-FG02-09ER85303,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2009,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Higher gas transport membranes would enhance membrane separations, especially those associated with energy savings (e.g., oxygen or nitrogen enriched air). In these systems, gas transport is inversely proportional to the thickness of the membrane¿s active layer. This project will explore a novel route for preparing ultrathin (100-1000 angstroms) membranes with very high selectivity. First, membranes with ultrathin dense skins will be prepared. Then, these ultrathin membranes will be evaluated in various gas separations, with a focus on oxygen enriched air. Finally, the economics of these ultrathin membranes will be analyzed to determine their contribution to energy savings in gas separations and associated membrane-based processes. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: This is a platform technology. The ultrathin membranes should have significant impact related to energy savings in industrial processes. The specific focus will be on reducing the costs of making high purity nitrogen enriched air and oxygen enriched air"
Novel Membranes for Enhancing Value of Bio-Oil,DE-FG02-09ER85315,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2009,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Praveen Kosaraju,Dr.,3029997996,pkosaraju@compactmembrane.com,"Biomass fast pyrolysis fuel (BioOil) is a liquid fuel made from wood chips and the low-grade wood byproducts of timber harvesting. However, when BioOil is stored, its chemicals polymerize, aided by the oxygen present in the BioOil. As a consequence, the viscosity of the BioOil increases over time, and, under extreme conditions, it can become a solid. In addition, the presence of water results in a thermal penalty when the BioOil is used as a fuel. The goal of this project is to develop a simple low-cost system that reduces both the oxygen and water contents of the BioOil. The approach will be based on a previously-developed family of non-porous amorphous membranes with extremely high flux for both oxygen and water. By passing the Bio-Oil across the surface of the membranes, both the water and the dissolved or dispersed oxygen can simultaneously be removed. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: In addition to the Bio-Oil application, this platform technology should be applicable to a number of markets that deal with aggressive chemicals and the need to remove water and oxygen. The new technology could replace vacuum dehydrator systems, the leading technology used for reducing dissolved water, which tend to be off-line and fairly expensive. Finally, BioOil production plants could provide jobs in a badly needed market for the timber industry's wood chips."
New Membrane Structure for Gas Separations,DE-FG02-09ER85304,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2009,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Natural gas offers cost and environmental benefits over other conventional energy sources and decreases our dependence on oil imports. However, many sources of natural gas also contain large amounts of non-hydrocarbon gases, which make them uneconomical to market. Removal of these non-hydrocarbon impurities, in order to raise low quality raw gas to pipeline quality, could have significant economic and environmental benefits. However, many of these impurities ¿ carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, water, heavy components, and hydrocarbon condensates ¿ can be deleterious to gas separation membranes. In addition to fouling the membrane and reducing gas transport, these impurities also can change the membrane¿s permeation characteristics. For example, condensation of liquids on the membrane surface can wash away some types of membrane coatings. Also, a chemical attack can weaken the polymer membrane and cause mechanical failure. This project will develop functional polymers to enhance membrane flux and selectivity. The approach will combine (1) existing copolymers (with excellent chemical and thermal resistance, plus high gas flux) and (2) new functional groups at the monomer level, which will improve membrane fouling resistance, and increase selectivity and flux. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Membranes having thermal stability, chemical resistance, high flux, fouling resistance, and high separation should enable the treatment of a number of natural gas sources that might otherwise be uneconomical to market. While the focus of this proposal is natural gas improvement, the technology also should have significant value in methane/carbon dioxide separation, in enhanced oil recovery operations, and for CO2 removal from hydrocarbon liquids."
Novel Ethanol Dehydration Membranes,DE-FG02-09ER85314,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2009,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Dan Campos,Dr.,3029997996,dcampos@compactmembrane.com,"There continues to be a need to produce fuel-grade ethanol from renewable sources. However, the cost of agricultural-based ethanol is quite severe, despite the fact that existing and new legislation provides significant incentives for its use. This project addresses novel routes to enhance the low-cost production of high-quality dry-fuel-grade ethanol by means of a novel water-ethanol separation membrane process. In particular, the proposed process will be ideal for small applications. (Most existing biomass-to-ethanol plants are at least 40 million gallons per year, and very few are at 10 million gallons per year.) With highly concentrated streams of 60-90% ethanol, a membrane that can preferentially remove water would be ideal for the final drying stage (where the ethanol must reach concentrations of 99.5% to be designated as fuel grade). Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: In order to enhance energy independence, the government has established a target to replace 10% of gasoline consumption by biomass feed stock sources. The proposed membrane technology should have the high flux, chemical resistance, and thermal stability to be useful in this application and in many others."
Contaminate Removal For Laboratory Pharmaceutical Synthesis,1R43GM084478-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2009,1,127581.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Louis Dinetta,,,rtierney@compactmembrane.com,John J. Bowser,,3029997996,JOHN.BOWSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Most organic pharmaceutical chemical syntheses are done in organic solvents. Oxygen and/or water contaminants in organic solvents will destroy many organic reactants and organometallic reagents and catalysts. As such, t
he removal of oxygen and water are critical to successful organic synthesis. Unfortunately both oxygen and water are ubiquitous and significant effort must be introduced to both remove oxygen and water and continue to keep them out of the system. Nearly ev
ery organic synthesis laboratory in the United States has a system for the removal of oxygen and water from solvents. Laboratories have several special concerns with respect to the purification of solvents. The three major concerns associated with oxygen a
nd water removal from solvents are safety, cost and space considerations. Traditionally, organic solvents have been purified by distillation from reactive metals. This Phase I project will develop a membrane product and process to remove dissolved oxygen a
nd water from reaction solvents and reactants. This concern for oxygen and water is especially true in laboratory synthesis. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. proposes a novel membrane product and process to address these issues. This membrane will be a compo
site structure using a novel porous support and novel dense membrane. The process will both remove the oxygen and water and maintain their removal. The membrane system is in principle universal and very low cost. The removal of oxygen and water from repres
entative solvents will be demonstrated. Once the removal of contaminants is completed, enhanced synthesis related to removal of water and oxygen will be demonstrated working with the University of Delaware. Compact Membrane Systems has numerous industrial
and university partners which have shown a strong interest in this technology. These partners will be helpful in the Phase I program and subsequent Phase II activity and commercialization. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will develop a membran
e product and process to remove dissolved oxygen and water from reaction solvents and reactants. The process will both remove the oxygen and water and maintain their removal. The membrane system is in principle universal and very low cost. This development
will represent an application of CMS membrane technology that has considerable significance to production costs related to pharmaceutical manufacturing."
Contaminate Removal for Laboratory Pharmaceutical Synthesis,3R43GM084478-01A1S1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2009,1,265534.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,,rtierney@compactmembrane.com,John J. Bowser,,3029997996,JOHN.BOWSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. is proposing a revision to grant 1 R43 GM084478-01A1 entitled Contaminate Removal for Laboratory Pharmaceutical Synthesis in response to notice NOT-OD-09-058, NIH Announces the Availab
ility of Recovery Act Funds for Competitive Revision Applications In this revision application, we are proposing to remove contaminants such as un-reacted reactants, spent catalysts and by-products from spent organic solvents by the membrane separation te
chnique of nanofiltration. This is a two dimensional change in the scope of the original program: 1) the mode of operation of the membrane is different from the original program 2) scope of separations is well beyond removing water and oxygen contaminants
from solvents. The original program was focused on developing small and low cost membrane based system for removal of oxygen and water contaminants from organic synthesis solvents. Most organic pharmaceutical chemical syntheses are done in organic solvents
. Oxygen and/or water contaminants in organic solvents will destroy many organic reactants and organometallic reagents and catalysts. As such, the removal of oxygen and water are critical to successful organic synthesis. Unfortunately both oxygen and water
are ubiquitous and significant effort must be introduced to both remove oxygen and water and continue to keep them out of the system. This revision is also responsive to NIH RFP PA-09-100 entitled Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy System Technology
Research and Development . By using a pressure-driven nanofiltration versus a thermal- driven separation such as distillation for recovery of pharmaceutical spent solvents, we also are directly responsive to this NIH's RFP for energy efficient processes. A
dditional resources will be added to the program including necessary equipment to carry out the effort as well as new hires including both experienced and new college graduates. Compact Membrane Systems has numerous industrial and university partners which
have shown a strong interest in this technology. These partners will be helpful in the Phase I program and subsequent Phase II activity and commercialization. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will develop a membrane product and process to not
only remove dissolved oxygen and water from reaction solvents and reactants but also be expanded to include un-reacted chemicals, spent catalysts and by-products from spent organic solvents. The membrane system is in principle universal and very low cost.
This development will represent an application of CMS membrane technology that has considerable significance to production costs related to pharmaceutical manufacturing."
SBIR Phase I: Metabolic Engineering for Clostridial Biotechnology,0912547,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2009,1,99492.00,"ELCRITON, INC",15 Reads Way,Suite 106,New Castle,DE,19720-0000,No,No,No,Bryan P. Tracy,PhD,8649215146,B_TRACY3@YAHOO.COM,Bryan P. Tracy,PhD,8649215146,B_TRACY3@YAHOO.COM,"This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop platform clostridia strains suitable for industrial scale alcohol production from renewable feedstocks and also to improve metabolic engineering technologies for all clostridia. Clostridia are strictly anaerobic, endospore forming prokaryotes of major importance to cellulose degradation, human and animal health and physiology, anaerobic degradation of simple and complex carbohydrates. Obstacles for the industrial use of these organisms include the development of genetic and metabolic engineering tools and strategies that could lead to strains suitable for production of chemicals and fuels from renewable feedstocks. This project focuses on developing metabolic engineering strategies and strains of solventogenic clostridia for the production of chemicals and biofuels. Through novel approaches, this project aims to solve three important bioprocessing bottlenecks: 1) product formation characteristics, 2) product yield and selectivity, 3) and suitable characteristics for repeated fed-batch or continuous fermentations. Anticipated outcomes of this project are clostridia strains that overcome the aforementioned bioprocessing bottlenecks and improved metabolic engineering technologies that are applicable to all clostridia. Development of biorefinery and biofuel technologies has been on the scientific and technological agenda of our nation for over 35 years now but never quite with the urgency of the last 2-3 years. Oil
supplies for producing chemicals and fuels are becoming increasingly limiting and unreliable. Moreover, use or combustion of non-renewable chemicals and fuels detrimentally impacts the climate of our planet. Biomass is a carbon-neutral renewable resource for producing chemicals and fuels and the basis for the biorefinery concept. Solventogenic, butyric-acid clostridia played a major industrial role in the production of acetone and butanol in the past. Metabolic engineering of solventogenic clostridia may lead to industrial processes for production of chemicals such as butyric acid, butanol, butanediol, propanol, and acetoin, and production of hydrogen. Some of these chemicals can serve as biofuels directly, while others can be used for chemical conversion to biofuels. A major advantage of these organisms is that they can directly ferment a large spectrum of simple and complex carbohydrates including lignocellulosics with minimal pretreatment. The commercial potential of metabolically engineered solventogenic clostridia is exceptional but remains largely unexplored. This project aims to capture and demonstrate part of this potential. This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."
Enhancing site-specific chromosomal integration in clostridia,DE-FG02-09ER85341,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2009,1,99682.00,"ELCRITON, INC",15 Reads Way,Suite 106,New Castle,DE,19720-0000,No,No,No,Danielle Nolen,Ms.,3025283205,dnolen68@gmail.com,Bryan Tracy,Mr.,8649215146,bryantracy2009@u.northwestern.edu,"The bacteria genus, Clostridium, includes many species that are naturally capable of degrading cellulose and producing valuable chemicals and fuel alcohols. Unfortunately the genetic engineering tools for developing improved strains are limited for all clostridia. This project will develop novel approaches for enhancing chromosomal integration in all clostridia species. With an enhanced recombination system for clostridia, it would become possible to quickly knock out and knock in genes, allowing new strains with superior production capabilities to be quickly engineered. Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of improving site-specific chromosomal integration via recombinant over-expression of native and heterologous proteins involved in homologous recombination. Phase I will focus on the over-expression of individual proteins, and Phase II will build upon those results by studying the over-expression of combinations of proteins. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee The technology should significantly accelerate strain development in solventogenic and other clostridia species, leading to the microbial conversion of renewable carbohydrates to chemicals and fuels. Such a development would aid our nation¿s goals of developing sustainable and greener technologies for the production of chemicals and transportation fuels"
Innovative Weight Reduction Concepts for Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs),N65538-09-M-0066,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2009,1,70000.00,Kubota Research Associates,100 Hobson Drive,,Hockessin,DE,-,No,No,No,Masanori Kubota,President & CEO,3026830199,kubota@kubotaresearch.com,Masanori Kubota,President & CEO,3026830199,kubota@kubotaresearch.com,"This SBIR Phase I project will develop and innovative sandwich composite material used to manufacture component parts and/or the hull for an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) to reduce the weight and increase operational effectiveness. The composite structure includes an inner layer of high tenacity polyarylate LCP long fiber reinforced ionomer. The reinforced resin is extrusion molded directly into a monocoque hull structural shape using an open sheet flow molding process. The middle layer is a lightweight PVC foam core with carbon fabric face sheets for rigidity and high mechanical performance. The outer layer is consolidated plies of polyarylate LCP fabric reinforcement ionomer composite that are highly abrasion and chemical resistant. The outer layer greatly increases the impact resistance of the sandwich. The multiple layers are injection molded with vinyl ester resin under vacuum to consolidate the lightweight dual skin composite sandwich. The Phase I program will produce test coupons and measure the mechanical performance of the sandwich compared to current USV materials for weight reduction, cost and manufacturability. The Phase I Option will calculate the optimum composite sandwich construction for mechanical, physical, weight, cost and manufacturing to prepare for Phase II scaleup."
STTR Phase II: Planar Array Infrared (PA-IR): A Compact Rugged Double Beam Infrared Spectrometer for Laboratory and Field Analysis,0848096,NSF,NSF,STTR,2009,2,499844.00,"PAIR Technologies, LLC",P.O. Box 7167,,Wilmington,DE,19803-0167,No,No,No,Daniel Frost,MBA,3027538721,dwf62@comcast.net,Daniel Frost,MBA,3027538721,dwf62@comcast.net,"This Small Innovation Technology Transfer (STTR) project will demonstrate the utility of infrared planar array technology to study water pollutants such as industrial contaminants and biological impurities. It proposes to optimize the design and construction of a compact, high-sensitivity, double beam infrared instrument based on focal plane array detection, which meets or exceeds performance standards of commercially available Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) solutions and is able to operate in ambient environments to provide measurements of dilute concentrations of organic and biological contaminants. If successful the outcome of this project will enable real time effluent detection from a manufacturing site such as that found at chemical companies who could realize tangible and intangible savings from being able to pro-actively identify and measure the presence of pollutants. A portable Planar Array Infrared (PA-IR) spectrograph could be used to measure contaminants in rivers, streams and ponds, thereby providing ?real time? feedback on changes in the environment. The World Laboratory Analytical Instrument Market is estimated to be $9.36B in 2008. IR spectroscopy is estimated to be $738MM."
STTR PHASE I: PLANAR ARRAY INFRARED(PA-IR): A COMPACT RUGGED DOUBLE BEAM INFRARED,1R41RR024768-01A1,HHS,HHS,STTR,2009,1,131868.00,"PAIR Technologies, LLC",P.O. Box 7167,,Wilmington,DE,19803-0167,No,No,No,Dan Frost,,,chase@pairtech.com,Daniel W. Frost,,3026954434,DWF62@COMCAST.NET,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There are currently a significant number of research programs directed at the utilization of vibrational spectroscopy (infrared, near infrared and Raman) as diagnostic tools for a variety of diseases. Almost all of thes
e efforts utilize existing, commercially available instrumentation which for infrared measurements rely almost entirely on Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) interferometers. In order for the results from these existing programs to effectively translate fr
om the laboratory to the bed-side (translational research), there needs to be a new generation of infrared and near infrared instrumentation, that is 1) laboratory quality for both routine and nonstandard measurements, and 2) portable, field deployable, an
d responsive to a wide variety of substances (proteins, metabolites, and blood components). Such infrared instrumentation must be able to rapidly produce high quality spectra in the laboratory while possessing the requisite sensitivity and inherent stabili
ty to do low level analysis of biologically relevant species outside of a laboratory under ambient conditions. We propose to design and construct a new type of portable, ultra-rapid infrared instrument based on focal plane array detection. This planar arra
y IR (PA-IR) instrument will provide the time- resolution (10-15 ms) to follow real-time irreversible processes and provide information on a timescale which is not readily accessible to current FT-IR instruments. The instrument will also be capable of pe
rforming real-time background corrections thus providing for compensation of water vapor in the atmosphere, for liquid water in the case of proteins in aqueous solutions (this application) or for real time subtraction of solvent bands. This can be a critic
al issue when the infrared or near infrared measurements are translated to the clinic or bedside. Our longer range effort will be to extend this technology to create a small portable PA-IR spectrometer with the following improvements. The dual beam system
will be a marked improvement over all present FT-IR systems as they do not have simultaneous reference and sample capability. The PA-IR system will also be capable of multiple simultaneous spectral acquisitions. In addition, the use of thermoelectric cooli
ng systems will be investigated to eliminate the need for liquid nitrogen cooling of the detector system. If these technical goals are obtained our future plans would include prototyping, manufacturing and sales of these instruments. It is our long term go
al to provide this system to academia, government and industry. If successful, we will provide improved capability with respect to the present generation of research grade FT-IR instruments (acquisition rate and dual beam capability) at a comparable cost.
PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: There is a very strong interest in the public health community to drive diagnostic methods from the laboratory to the clinic or office, bench to bedside . An integral component of this transition is the development of small, compa
ct, rugged and reliable analytical instrumentation. The increasing level of research results showing the relevance of vibrational spectroscopy to disease diagnosis accentuates the need for the spectroscopic instrumentation embodied in this program."
Novel Photonic RF Spectrometer,NNX09CD91P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2009,1,99998.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,3023799808,jrlin@spectrum-magnetics.com,Hao Zhu,Principal Investigator,3022921612,hzhu@spectrum-magnetics.com,"Leveraging on recent breakthroughs in broadband photonic devices and components for RF and microwave applications, SML proposes a new type of broadband microwave spectrometer with performance and affordability that were not attainable before. The photonic microwave spectrometer overcomes the constrains associated with microwave electronics, linearly and simultaneously offering 6-18 GHz (potentially up to 100 GHz) bandwidth, high resolution of sub-hundred MHz, and huge numbers of channels (hundreds to 1024 channels). The devices and components used in the proposed novel spectrometer are commercial off-the-shelf. Our miniature low cost design is well suited for the spectrum monitor and sensor requirement for a wide range of NASA, military and commercial applications. Our unconventional flight qualifiable approach eliminates the need for frequency down-converter, moving components, local oscillator, and has intrinsically temperature independent operation. In Phase I, SML will test an evaluation prototype to demonstrate the proposed novel RF/microwave spectrometer based on high performance components and build a system model to simulate and verify spectrometer's design and performance."
Improved Soft Magnetic Materials for High Power Density Electrical Machines,FA9550-09-C-0100,DOD,USAF,STTR,2009,1,100000.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,3023799808,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,Stoyan Stoyanov,Senior Research Scientist,3023456666,stoyan_sml@comcast.net,"This STTR Phase I proposal is aimed to develop high induction soft magnetic nano-composites (SMNC) capable of high power operations at frequency between 20 kHz to 10 MHz. With Spectrum Magneticsf?T proprietary technique, leveraged with research excellence in magnetic materials at the University of Delaware, we will develop magnetic nano-entities of large aspect ratio which effectively eliminates undesired demagnetization factor. Subsequent consolidation of laminated magnetic nano-entities leads to SMNC cores, which is a nano-scale version of the conventional laminated soft FeSi (silicon steel) cores. Our process greatly simplifies the manufacture procedures and reduces the cost. BENEFIT: The successful development of proposed soft magnetic nanocomposites (SMNC) will fill the frequency (20 kHz f?"" 10 MHz) and induction level gaps (B>0.4T) that cannot be satisfied with existing commercial soft magnetic materials, either metallic amorphous ribbons or ferrites. The proposed SMNC have huge potentials for applications in motors and generators, high frequency and high power inductors, switching power supply applications such as DC-DC convertors, and electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS). The total market size for switching power supply alone is about US$26.7B in 2007 and is projected to grow to US$31B in 2011."
Satellite Structures with Engineered or Variable Electomagnetic Properties,FA9453-09-C-0024,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2009,2,739592.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,3023799808,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,Stoyan Stoyanov,Senior Scientist,3026909313,stoyan_sml@comcast.net,"A novel methodology is proposed for the integration of nanomaterials into structural composite materials, to engineer multi-spectrum (microwave, IR, and optical) electromagnetic properties. The process is general and a wide range of EM properties can be achieved, such as absorption, reflection, switchable properties, etc. It is also possible to engineer multiple properties in the same structure by selecting appropriate fillers and their locations in the structural materials. This proposal is based on our successful concept demonstration in Phase I where we found structural integrity as well as multifunction EM properties of microwave absorption and band stop filter. BENEFITS: This proposed methodology enables the integration of nanomaterials into continuous fiber structural composite materials for multifunctional characteristics. The use of nanoparticles of various forms (spheres, flakes, fibers etc) and thin films provides a wide range of property characteristics that can be integrated into a typical composite structure. This will enable application of multifunctional structures from microwave to UV regimes and provide the materials/structural designer with the necessary tools for platform implementation. Potential applications are primarily driven by Aerospace (military and commercial) and Defense markets."
Detection and Mitigation of Electrical Faults in Medium Voltage DC (MVDC) Architectures,N65538-09-M-0103,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2009,1,69998.00,"CREATIVE ENERGY SOLUTIONS, INC.","2601 Annand Dr., Suite 16",,Wilmington,DE,19808,No,No,No,Robert Ashton,Senior Engineer,4843158159,robert_w_ashton@yahoo.com,Keith Corzine,Senior Engineer,4843158159,Keith@Corzine.net,"The proposed technology has the potential to change the paradigm such that the traditional ""brute-force"" method of the mechanical breaker is replaced with natural commutation. Further, a downfall of the conventional solid-state breaker is that it still must interrupt large fault currents requiring very specialized semiconductors and controls. Ultimately, the dc breaker herein prevents large currents from developing across the fault while completely isolating the source bus including the solid-state switch without the use of sophisticated controls. Preliminary real time simulation studies would address the proposed breaker operation within an MVDC shipboard power system. Information from these studies would be used to develop an intelligent network designed to automatically optimize the distribution configuration. This network will be developed using a neural network approach based on supervised and unsupervised learning, such as self-organizing maps and learning vector quantization networks."
"Innovative Low-cost, In-situ Consolidation Head for Complex Geometry Thermoplastic Fiber Placement",N68335-08-C-0499,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2008,1,79924.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark Gruber,Senior Partner,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,Mark Gruber,Senior Partner,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,"Accudyne proposes a SBIR program, endorsed by Sikorsky, Cytec Engineered Materials, and NASA-LaRC, to develop a cost-effective thermoplastic automated tow placement (ATP) process and demonstrate it by fabricating and testing a complex contoured skin (Phase 1) and a CH-53K rotorcraft lower cabin or ramp skin (Phase 2). The process employs in situ consolidation, avoiding the autoclave. The targeted part properties are those measured from autoclave-consolidated laminates. The selected Cytec APC-2 material system features inherent toughness, matching rotorcraft application requirements. For Phase 1, Accudyne will employ their already operating thermoplastic heated head that features full conformable compactors, individual tow-cut-and-add, and creates excellent microstructure. This plan will allow the rapid identification of the challenges to fabricating the complex contoured parts. Following Phase 2, Accudyne will offer an automated fiber placement machine and heated head for sale to the industry that is capable of fabricating the desired parts without using the autoclave."
Innovative Approaches to the Fabrication of Composite Rotary Wing Main Rotor Blade Spars,N68335-08-C-0195,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2008,1,67823.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark Gruber,Senior Partner,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,Mark Gruber,Senior Partner,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,"This proposal will supply to NAVAIR and to rotorcraft manufacturing companies the emerging solution to their fabrication needs as it relates to the production of Rotor Blade Spars. The process and machine concept developed in Phase I will provide NAVAIR and the rotocraft manufacturing companies an automated solution to spar manufacturing. This will enable: Low part manufacturing cost High volume capability (1200/year) Reduced touch labor High quality, repeatable parts This solution will embody a new and innovative process unique to the manufacture of a Main Rotor Blade Spar. Additionally, the resultant machine automation and process development will lead to other platforms and concepts for the automation of other composite parts used in aerospace manufacturing."
Generating Autoclave-Level Mechanical Properties with Out-of-Autoclave Thermoplastic Placement of Large Composite Aerospace Structures,NNX08CD45P,NASA,NASA,STTR,2008,1,99935.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark Gruber,Business Official,3023695390,,Mark Gruber,Principal Investigator,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,"Out-of-autoclave thermoplastic tape/tow placement (TP-ATP) is nearing commercialization but suffers a moderate gap in mechanical properties compared with laminates fabricated via thermoset autoclave processing. Out-of-autoclave thermoplastic processing significantly lowers composite aerospace part costs, but the property gap must be closed. This STTR program, endorsed herein by Boeing and Cytec Engineered Materials, will remedy the mechanical property shortfall and enable large composite aerospace structure important to NASA to be manufactured without an autoclave. Accudyne is teaming with University of Delaware ýý Center for Composite Materials to apply their state-of-the-art TP-ATP process/property models to elucidate the physical mechanisms affecting microstructural quality that cause the property gap. Models will be applied to the NASA LaRC TP-ATP deposition head to optimize the head configuration and machine operating parameters, and the control systems for full mechanical properties. Laminates will be manufactured to demonstrate the property improvements. The process, head, and equipment changes will be upgraded on the NASA-LaRC thermoplastic tape head. In Phase 2, process/head modeling will be extended through laminate fabrication and testing, and a component of interest to NASA will be fabricated demonstrating the improved ""autoclave level"" mechanical performance."
"A compact, low cost, in- process welding defects detection system based on thermal plasma emission",N65538-08-M-0149,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2008,1,69999.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3029993422,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,3022940116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the University of Michigan (UM) detail the development of a compact, portable, and low cost in-process weld defects detection system. Key innovations of the proposed system include: a) weld defects monitoring based on plasma emission characteristics; b) use the electron temperature of the plasma as an indicator of the weld quality, c) use multiple plasma emission lines to enhance the system sensitivity, and d) the development and application of a Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) based peak detection algorithm to enhance the sensor sensitivity, and to reveal plasma emission signatures associated with contaminations. With these innovations, we expect that the final product of this proposal will be a compact (~4x4x2 inches), light weight (~1lb), low cost ("
A Cavity Enhanced Terahertz Absorption Spectrometer (CETAS),W911NF-09-C-0019,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2008,1,69999.00,"AlphaSense, Inc.",DE,,Wilmington,DE,19808-6271,Yes,No,No,Xin Zhang,President,3029993422,xin@alphasense.net,Pengcheng Lv,Senior Scientist,3022940116,pengcheng@alphasense.net,"In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the Oklahoma State University (OKState) detail the development of a novel Cavity Enhanced Terahertz Absorption Spectrometer (CETAS). Key innovations of the proposed system include: a) the use of a small Whispering- Gallery- Mode (WGM) cavity to achieve very long pathlength; and b) the integration of the WGM cavity with the conventional pulsed and continuous wave (cw) THz systems. Consequently, the proposed system will have the following merits: a)Ultra high sensitivity and selectivity, b)Compact, light weight, and relatively low cost, and c)flexible for chemical analysis in different forms."
Automated Biological Sample Concentration and Detection System,W911SR-08-C-0067,DOD,ARMY,STTR,2008,2,749929.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Debbi Johnson,Director of Accounting,3022831730,debbi@anptinc.com,Ray Yin,President,3022831730,robert@anptinc.com,"ANP Technologies proposes to integrate a commercially available air sample concentrator from ICx MesoSystems with our automated detection instrument that uses the NIDSr multiplexed assays and NIDSr Auto-Reader (AR) device. A trigger device may also be incorporated into the final system, which might better enable the system to serve as a remote monitor of air streams. The proposed effort will build upon the lessons learned in the Phase I STTR effort, as well as our proprietary nanomaterials coating technology, which is utilized in our proposed detection systems."
Isolation of Novel Hyper-Thermophiles for Increased Energy Efficiency in Ethanol Production,DE-FG02-08ER85061,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2008,1,99562.00,"Athena Biotechnologies, Inc.",Delaware Technology Park,"5 Innovation Way, Suite 100",Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,Barry Marrs,Dr.,3022243450,bmarrs@athenabio.com,Brian M. Swalla,Dr.,3022243450,bswalla@athenabio.com,"Bio-ethanol penetration into the marketplace is limited by its cost, making it non-competitive with petroleum-based fuels. Energy consumed during fermentation and distillation steps accounts for 17% of the total cost. Because fermentation is exothermic, the reactor must be cooled to preserve mesophilic microbial viability. Then, the product must then be heated to vaporize the ethanol for purification by distillation. A simplified, energy-efficient process operating at higher temperatures (e.g. 80°C, which is above the boiling point of neat ethanol) would reduce energy use and cost. The primary barrier to higher-temperature fermentation is finding the right microbe, which must both survive and produce ethanol efficiently in the 80°C reactor. However, the discovery and study of such micorbes is challenging because 99% or more of microorganisms in the environment cannot be cultivated in the laboratory. This project will develop a high-temperature version of a previously-developed technology that provides a dramatically enhanced ability to culture novel environmental microbes. In Phase I, the previously-developed process will be used to screen a large collection of novel hyper-thermophiles, in order to identify one that produces ethanol above 75°C. In Phase II, a better hyper-thermophilic ethanolagen having several desirable traits (e.g. cellulase production, ethanol yield, and tolerance) will be isolated, characterized, and developed in bench-top and pilot-scale processes operating above 80°C. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The enhanced process should improve the fermentative production of biofuels such as ethanol, resulting in increased energy security, reduced greenhouse gas and other chemical emissions, sustainable use of natural resources, and rural job development. Based on data from NREL, fermentation at 80°C will cut energy use by 50%, equipment cost by 5%, and per-gallon ethanol cost by 10%. The technology also should find use in other important fermentations (such as production of industrial enzymes), monomers for plastics, small-molecule drugs, and protein-based therapeutics."
Nano-BiCMOS Night Vision Camera,W909MY-08-C-0060,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2008,1,69994.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Sean X. Wang,CTO,3023687824,swang@bwtek.com,Jie Yao,Principal Scientist,3023687824,jiey@bwtek.com,"Night vision capability is one of the most important battlefield advantages of the U.S. military, especially in today's asymmetric warfare. The Gen III night vision goggles in service today is based on the vacuum tube technology with a semiconductor photo cathode, resulting in limitations on view angle, size, manufacturing cost and device operating lifetime. The requirement of special training in combination with the minimum of $2,500 annual cost of ownership has prevented its wide-spread deployment with each and every soldier. Highly desirable is a solid state low-light-level night vision camera using the highly reliable low-cost silicon CMOS technology. We propose a nano-technology solution on the silicon CMOS platform. The proposed nano-BiCMOS low-light-level camera combines the most recently industrialized nano-materials with the miniaturized and monolithically integrated version of a proven solid-state detector technology. The resulting camera is expected to enable surveillance and reconnaissance at night vision sensitivity and large detection distances. In Phase I we will fabricate the semiconductor detector device, to prove the feasibility of our high-resolution nano-BiCMOS imager concept. In Phase II we will prototype the entire night vision camera system to full specifications, which will be delivered to DoD Labs for evaluation and demonstration."
High Sensitivity Rugged Array Detectors for Field Deployed Instruments: Low-Light Level Camera for Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Ram,W911QX-08-C-0075,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2008,2,729227.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Pei Tzeng,Account Manager,3023687824,peipei@bwtek.com,Sean X. Wang,Chief Technical Officer,3023687824,swang@bwtek.com,"Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman spectroscopy are developing rapidly for chemical and biochemical sensing applications. There is an urgent need for high-sensitivity detectors so as to minimize sample quantity and maximize detection range from the source. In most field-deployable spectrometers, a photo-detector array is used for analyzing the spectral contents. The sensitivities of the CCD or CMOS arrays are typically not high enough, and an expensive and short-lived ICCD has to be used. We proposed in Phase I the world's first nano-tech semiconductor image intensifier and low-light-level camera design. During Phase I, we also built the world's first femto-Amp femto-Watt electro-optical measurement system, fabricated the world's highest sensitivity semiconductor photo-detectors, and precisely characterized them to have achieved > 100 x higher sensitivity than avalanche photodiodes. Our Phase I experimental results well exceeded our original expectations. Phase II will see the full specification development of the proposed image intensifier, low-light-level camera and high-sensitivity LIBS systems. The prototype LIBS spectrometer will cover 200 - 1,000 nm range with 0.1 nm resolution. It will have its detection limit as low as 1/1,000 of the minimum detectable amount of a similar system with CCD. We will continue into production in Phase III."
STTR Phase I: Novel Chemically Resistant Membranes,0740176,NSF,NSF,STTR,2008,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Sudipto Majumdar,PhD,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,PhD,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will develop novel chemically and thermally stable, highly fluorinated mixed matrix polymeric membranes with high selectivity. The program's objective is to apply enhanced membrane separation as an alternative to distillation separations that deal with high temperature and aggressive chemicals. Distillation is a major separation process in the chemical industry and consumes significant energy and capital costs. Many aggressive chemicals are difficult to separate by distillation. While membranes offer potential, most are limited by difficulties with aggressive chemicals and temperature limitations. Compact Membrane Systems has developed a family of perfluorinated membranes featuring high temperature capability, ability to operate in aggressive chemicals, and high flux. The chemical process industry would benefit from perfluorinated membranes with high upper use temperatures of 240ýýC with improved separation factors. This program addresses this particular need by developing mixed matrix membrane having perfluorinated base polymer and highly fluorinated additives. By introducing greater quantities of additives as well as appropriate choice of additives, we expect to significantly modify flux and separation properties of the base perfluoropolymers while retaining their unique stability. The broader impact/commercial potential from this technology could reduce energy consumption in the chemical process industries. Distillation consumes one-third of chemical process industry energy. Enhanced membrane processes with superior chemical and thermal properties can be used to
replace/improve many of these distillation separations. The largest market is the ethanol dewatering market. Ethanol is expected to grow to upwards of 40% of U.S. fuel. If this occurs the market is 50-60 billion gallons of fuel per year. This project could lead to an energy-efficient process to produce ethanol as well as reduce the energy consumption of the chemical process industries."
Small Scale Ethanol Drying,EP-D-08-052,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2008,2,225000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,John Bowser,President,3029997996,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Maiumdar,"Director, Application Development",3029997996,smaiumdar@compactmenbrane.com,"This program exceeded all key milestones. Using cellulose Waste, CMS demonstrated novel ethanol drying membranes via small scale dephlegmation process that yields fuel grade ethanol (FGE) at a lower cost than large switch grass ethanol plants. This success yields positive value for cellulose waste. We achieved targeted EPA goals of developing low cost environmentally friendly systems to enhance recovery of waste streams. In addition to this success we have lined up key partners for both the fabrication of membrane systems as well as field testing in related applications.
In Phase I, we fabricated chemically resistant hollow fiber (HF) membrane modules that had desired chemical resistance and transport properties consistent with the goals associated with the final ethanol drying step in small scale manufacturing processes. There was success with flat sheet systems for ethanol-water separation and though HF and flat sheet systems provided excellent performance results, HF is preferred in Phase II. This is because of excellent relationships with commercial partners combined with associated better design and cost features. Using the HF membranes prepared in the earlier tasks, we evaluated these materials specifically under conditions consistent with small scale ethanol manufacturing sites for both liquid phase and vapor phase separation of water from ethanol. We obtained excellent flux and separation. This included very high water transport rates and very high water-ethanol separations factors. This excellent flux and separation in combination with stability was demonstrated over a wide range of operating conditions.
Long term testing showed the membranes had excellent stability. This is consistent with parallel result, and also consistent with the chemistry of the CMS materials. Reviewers had concerns related to CMS membrane water/ethanol selectivity but tests in Phase I showed excellent water/ethanol separation which likely related to the unique chemistry of the CMS membranes.
We took lab results and put them into the small scale membrane module/dephelmation system published by Leland Vane from the EPA and comparing to published results from the Department of Energy on FGE costs. We demonstrated CMS membrane drying costs were actually less than large scale molecular sieve driers. Most important results showed that waste stream cellulose stream actually had significant positive value ($16-$18/ton).
Phase II will build and evaluate pilot system. Fortunately we have established a number of key relationships with membrane suppliers, ethanol engineering design firms and the EPA test sites. This positions CMS well for both Phase II success and subsequent commercialization."
Removal Of Ammonia And Water To Enhance Yield Of Kinetically-Controlled Beta-Lactam Synthesis,DE-FG02-08ER86343,DOE,DOE,STTR,2008,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Membrane reactors have the potential to improve the reactivity and productivity of various chemical syntheses, including enzymatic water sensitive reactions. To be of value, reactors with higher use temperature, improved chemical resistance, and better mass transfer systems are desired. This project will develop improved mass transfer technology for membrane reactors and evaluate its ability to enhance enzyme reactivity. Phase I will fabricate novel membrane modules with improved mass transfer. Once fabricated, testing will be conducted to demonstrate enhanced targeted synthesis and improved mass transfer. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: This program addresses a broad platform of chemical reactions that can be enhanced by membrane reactors. The enhanced products would comprise well over 5 billion pounds per year and would save over 50 trillion BTU per year. In addition to enhancing chemical reactions, the technology could be used for drying organics, most specifically fuel grade ethanol and pipeline ethanol"
Low Cost Fuel Grade Ethanol,,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2008,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart M. Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"There continues to be need for production of fuel grade ethanol (FGE) from biomass. This has many advantages including: development of fuel independence; zero net greenhouse gas emissions; strengthen U.S. agricultural base; and excellent replacement for MTBE as oxygenate. CMS has identified novel membrane systems and novel processes for reducing the cost for drying fuel grade ethanol (FGE). Limited data has demonstrated the enhanced performance of CMS membranes compared to other membranes for drying bio-ethanol and also superior performance compared to other existing commercial systems.. In addition to enhanced membranes, CMS has also identified an enhanced operating process. The novel CMS enhancements can cost effectively be introduced both to new and existing plants to increase capacity and lower cost of making fuel grade ethanol. Program objective is to reduce cost of manufacturing FGE by 0.3 cents per gallon. Given that process is directly applicable to all
existing and new bio-ethanol plants the savings can be in excess of $100,000,000/yr."
Dewatering Membrane for Hazy Hydrodesulfurization Unit Effluents,DE-FG02-07ER84838,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2008,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Many refinery product streams, particularly those from Ultra Low Hydrodesulfurisation units, are prone to haze due to water emulsions. Haze is also problematic for biodiesel production, as hazy fuel cannot be used until the haze settles or is removed, which creates costly scheduling and shipping delays. This project will develop a novel membrane process for the removal of dissolved and dispersed water from fuels in real time. In Phase I, the membrane was developed and feasibility was demonstrated on multiple fuels. An economic evaluation showed that the cost of dewatering with the membranes would be very attractive. Phase II will involve the fabrication of both a small scale (e.g., 1-5 ft2) laboratory prototype and a large commercial size unit (e.g., 50 ft2). Based on the Phase I study, the long term performance of the membrane modules (both the laboratory and field unit) will be enhanced, and performance over a four-year lifetime will be demonstrated. Dewatering tests will be conducted both at the laboratory and in conjunction with industry partners at an existing field site. With the data collected, detailed engineering and economic evaluations will be conducted, and a comparison will be made with alternative non-membrane dehydrating processes. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The membrane technology should have a large impact on a number of areas of interest to the Department of Energy. In addition to haze removal from fuel, applications include enhancing chemical reactors by removing by-product water, drying pipeline ethanol and other organics, and stabilizing hydraulic fluid by removing water."
"New Stable, High Flux Membrane for Osmotic Distillation of Labile Pharmaceutical",1R43GM083375-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2008,1,99996.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,rtierney@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This program will develop a new stable, high flux membrane for osmotic distillation (OD) as a concentration technique for the unprocessed pharmaceutical products from aqueous fermentation broths. Osmotic distillation (O
D) is a potentially useful procedure to partially or totally remove water from thermally labile pharmaceutical compounds without exposing the pharmaceutical compounds to undesirable (high) temperatures. The two main issues to be addressed with osmotic dist
illation are the need: 1) for a membrane with a very high water transport rate, and 2) for a membrane that avoids wet out. This program addresses both of these issues by using a non-wetting, low surface energy, double-skinned microporous polyvinylidene flu
oride (PVDF) membrane that has high wet out resistance (that is, stability) and extraordinarily high water transport. CMS will develop the particular OD application involving dewatering of the enzyme L-lactase dehydrogenase. Tests on the before and after p
rotein activity will be done at CMS under the direction of Professor Andrew Zydney at Penn State University. The processing stability of this enzyme is an excellent surrogate to determine the viability of the CMS OD process toward other labile pharmaceutic
als. This development, once completed, will represent an application of CMS membrane technology that has considerable significance to pharmaceutical manufacturing."
Chemically and Thermally Resistant Hollow Fibers as Micro Channel Reactors for Process Intensification,DE-FG02-08ER85064,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2008,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nemser Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Donald Stookey,Dr.,3029997996,dstookey@compactmembrane.com,"Process intensification methodologies are need for the chemical processes and bioprocesses used in a biorefinery, in order to make the biorefinery a viable commercial alternative to the production of fuels and chemicals. Because the molecular mixing of reactants can enhance reactions, it is a key to process intensification. Significant process inefficiencies can occur (especially with highly reactive species) if the ability of some reactant species to meet other reactant species is limited. This project will develop a novel micro channel reactor to enhance chemical reactions. In addition to facilitating the mixing of chemicals at the molecular level, the system will be able to handle both high temperatures and aggressive chemicals, such as O2, H2, F2, O3, NH3, NF3, CO2 and CO. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology should significantly enhance productivity and separations associated with chemical reactions in a biorefinery, leading to reduced energy consumption and increased productivity."
Novel Nitrogen Enriched Air for Fire Suppression,2R44CE000183-02A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2008,2,1429150.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Louis Dinetta,,,rtierney@compactmembrane.com,Donald Stookey,,3029997996,DONALD.STOOKEY@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) program is to develop a new platform technology for fire suppression and fire prevention systems around membrane supplied nitrogen enriched air (NEA). The limitation
that the atmospheres used in the fire suppression be breathable to occupants in the proximity of a fire is easily accomplished by CMS technology. A breathable atmosphere, between 10% and 16% oxygen, is maintained so occupants can safely remove themselves o
r be rescued; even while starving the fire of oxygen, breathable levels are maintained. CMS proposes the combination with another safe, effective, environmentally friendly means of fire suppression in the form of water mist. The synergistic combination of
these fire suppression technologies can address virtually all the shortcomings of current fire suppression technologies. CMS membranes are uniquely suited to production of breathable atmospheres, and have 10 to 100 times greater flux than the membranes emp
loyed in creating oxygen deficient atmospheres typically employed in inerting, leading to proportionally smaller, more compact and even portable devices. They can be operated at lower pressures than required to optimize the performance of the membranes. CM
S membranes have only modest selectivity for oxygen over nitrogen permeation in comparison to nitrogen generating membranes. This prevents the membrane from producing atmospheres containing less than 10% oxygen where deleterious physiological effects are e
xpected. An inherent safe auto-regulation feature for the CMS system is not dependent upon the need for complex, reliable analytical and control schemes. The CMS approach seeks environmentally friendly systems. Water sprinkler and deluge systems are the mo
st widely used fire suppression systems, but their use can incur irreparable damage or substantial repair expenses associated with flooding and water damage. Halon systems used to protect electrical equipment, aircraft, ships, and restaurants are being rep
laced due to their adverse environmental impact. Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and inert gases are effective in controlling flammable mixtures and in suppressing fires but their asphyxiant nature limits use to uninhabited areas. CMS proposes a breathable NEA a
tmosphere having a composition within the Unimpaired Physiological Performance Zone employed for fire suppression with minimal concerns for occupant asphyxiation. Phase I met all key objectives including: 1) production of target NEA levels, 2) demonstrated
CMS membrane operation well in excess of water mist nozzle operating pressure requirements, 3) easy integration and demonstration of the NEA/water mist system, and 4) demonstrated fire extinction while operating in breathable environment. The Phase II pro
gram will: 1) quantify the effectiveness of the NEA+mist combination, 2) optimize system, 3) design and construct a mockup of a fire suppressant delivery system, 4) demonstrate the apparatus under certification protocols suited to the target niche, and 5)
position the technology and equipment for commercialization. Additional resources that are available now which were not available earlier include a) commercialization in parallel markets which will sell minimums of 2000-5000 systems in 2008/2009 further en
hancing our market ability in 2010 and beyond, and b) strong targeted interest by a large market oriented membrane company. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE A breathable NEA atmosphere having a composition within the Unimpaired Physiological Performance Zone can be
employed for fire suppression with no or minimal concerns for occupant asphyxiation. This fire suppression technique can be readily employed in hospital and nursing home rooms. As the technology is developed, it could be used to virtually replace any wate
r deluge system or Halon system."
"Low Cost, Low Weight Composite Structure using Out-Of-Autoclave (OOA) Technology",N68335-08-C-0210,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2008,1,80000.00,Kubota Research Associates,100 Hobson Drive,,Hockessin,DE,-,No,No,No,Masanori Kubota,President & CEO,3026830199,kubota@ir-welding.com,Masanori Kubota,President & CEO,3026830199,kubota@ir-welding.com,"This SBIR Phase I proposal will demonstrate the manufacture of a OOA composite using infrared radiation and compaction technology, an innovative resin film, and a resin film infusion process to produce aerospace quality thermoplastic composite. A low concentration of IR absorber is blended into a resin polymer and cast as a thin film. The resin film is interleaved with a carbon fabric reinforcement and the sandwich is irradiated using focused infrared radiation while applying pressure from compaction rollers in a lamination process. The heat and pressure infuse the resin film into the fabric to produce a carbon-reinforced thermoplastic composite. The Phase I program will build the infrared irradiation and compaction roller processing unit, fabricate composite laminate and test to demonstrate aerospace grade performance vs. the autoclave benchmark. The Phase I Option will optimize processing conditions, fabricate and fully characterize the mechanical performance of the composite laminate. A software program will compute setpoints for tape placement processing of resin infusion prepreg for scaleup in Phase II. The laminate performance data and tape placement processing conditions will be used to select, design and manufacture an aircraft sub-component part in the Phase II."
Prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated disease,1R43AI078566-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2008,1,99156.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,,myron@midi-inc.com,,,,,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) is a hospital-acquired problem following routine antibiotic treatment. Its impact may exceed that of any other nosocomial infection. Spores of the toxin-producing pathogen
are highly resistant to antibiotics and therefore overgrow the gut when broad-spectrum oral antibiotics kill off the competing bacteria. The C. difficile spores are resistant to common hospital disinfectants, thus contaminating the hospital environment an
d providing inoculum for infection of patients, especially the highly vulnerable elderly. Disease symptoms include diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. Treatment of the disease is with metronidazole or vancomycin, but relapse is commonly more than 20%. R
ecent spread of a more aggressive strain, that produces toxins A and B at 16 times and 23 times greater, a binary toxins, is resistant to fluoroquinolones, is hyper-productive of spores, and leads to mortality rates greater than 16%. The proposed research
is to develop adjuvants for routinely used antibiotics, enabling reduction of numbers of spores in the gut and subsequently inhibiting the germination and growth of C. difficile. The treatment should prevent C. difficile overgrowth of the GI tract, allowin
g competing bacteria to colonize the gut and suppress the growth of C. difficile and CDAD. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) is caused by antibiotic treatment and has become the most costly and injurious hospital-acqu
ired infection. This SBIR research proposes prevention of CDAD through the use of adjuvants with the antibiotics."
Satellite Structures with Engineered or Variable Electomagnetic Properties,FA9453-08-M-0030,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2008,1,99999.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,3023799808,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,Michael Bonder,Research Scientist,4843197948,Bonder.sml@comcast.net,"A novel methodology is proposed for the integration of low volume fractions (~5% by vol) of high aspect ratio ferromagnetic nanomaterials into structural composite materials, to engineer electromagnetic properties in the microwave regime. The general approach is to disperse the nanomaterial (flake form) in a thermoplastic polymer that is selected to be the same as the toughening agent in the structural thermoset resin. The flake/polymer film is then used as an interlayer between layers of structural prepreg during composite fabrication and can be positioned at specific locations within the composite, during fabrication. During composite cure, the thermoplastic dissolves into the thermoset resin, locking into place the flake dispersion and alignment characteristics. Electromagnetic properties are dependent on the flake dispersion, alignment and surface characteristics and can be engineered for absorption, reflectivity or low-loss properties. The Phase I effort will demonstrate this concept in an aerospace grade structural prepreg with Fe flakes dispersed in a sulfonated thermoplastic. Electromagnetic and mechanical properties will be characterized and models developed for property predictions."
RF Polymer,FA9550-08-C-0013,DOD,USAF,STTR,2008,2,750000.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,3023799808,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,Guixiang Yang,Senior Research Scientist,4849254653,yang.sml@comcast.net,"Based on multiple technology platforms, innovative nanomaterials with much improved magnetodielectric properties have been developed in the Phase I program. Following Edison's model of product and process development for technology innovations, Phase-II will pursue further incremental improvement in material properties upon the concept-proving material platforms to achieve high and matched dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability with a low loss tangent in GHz frequency range; the process development work will further optimize the scalable fabrication procedures for quality manufacturing of nanostructured materials with a commitment of pilot scale capacity in place. Leveraging on Spectrum Magnetics' expertise in large-scale fabrication of nanomaterials together with University of Delaware's know-how in the research of magnetodielectric materials, the joined team has essential ingredients and catalysts to successfully push this significant technology innovation to marketplace, to satisfy the Air Force needs in next generation antenna development with much improved functionalities in miniaturization, impendence matching, and bandwidth. For civilian applications, initial marketing products have been strategically selected to generate pinpoint entry for this technology innovation."
Improved Radio Frequency (RF) Polymer Substrates for Antennas,FA8650-08-C-5016,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2008,2,749999.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,3023899808,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,Michael Bonder,Research Scientist,3025886147,Bonder.sml@comcast.net,"Based on multiple technology platforms and theoretical analyses, in the Phase I program we have demonstrated the feasibility that RF polymers with desirable high frequency properties can be achieved. Following Edison_s model of product and process development for technology innovations, Phase-II will pursue further incremental improvement in material properties upon the concept-proving material platforms to achieve high and matched dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability with a low loss tangent in GHz frequency range; the process development work will further optimize the scalable fabrication procedures for quality manufacturing of nanostructured materials with a commitment of pilot scale capacity in place. Leveraging on Spectrum Magnetics' expertise in large-scale fabrication of nanomaterials and know-how in the research of magnetodielectric materials, the team has essential ingredients and catalysts to successfully push this significant technology innovation to marketplace, to satisfy the Air Force needs in next generation antenna development with much improved functionalities in miniaturization, impendence matching, and bandwidth. For civilian applications, initial marketing products have been strategically selected to generate pinpoint entry for this technology innovation."
Graphite Foam Heat Exchanger Technology for Energy Recovery,DE-FG02-07ER84807,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2008,2,750000.00,Thermal Centric Corporation,108 W 13th Street,,Wilmington,DE,19801,No,No,Yes,Daniel Bariault,Mr,7872254321,dbariault@thermalcentric.com,Brian E. Thompson,Dr,7873658707,bthompson@thermalcentric.com,"The recovery of heat currently wasted in exhaust gases can reduce fuel consumption in almost every commercial and industrial sector. In the electricity generation sector alone, even modest improvements in energy recovery effectiveness would result in billions of dollars in savings annually. New materials made from conductive graphite have created a significant opportunity to produce heat exchangers for energy recovery from exhausts. This project seeks to advance this technology in preparation for the commercialization of energy recovery products, initially for microturbine generators and ultimately for thermal power generation by utilities. In Phase I, new elements made from conductive graphite materials performed beyond their thermal engineering and reliability expectations, demonstrating that they are ideal for exhaust heat recovery. Issues with bonding, sealing, pressure drop, thermal stresses, corrosion, and maintenance were overcome with solutions appropriate for commercial products. Phase II will extend these results and culminate in full-scale field studies. In particular, the conductive graphite materials will be optimized to maximize the recovery of energy from generator exhausts; robustness, reliability, and performance will be measured under practical operating conditions; and manufacturing tools will be advanced to optimize element fabrication. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The graphite heat exchangers should enable more energy to be removed from exhausts because graphite does not corrode in condensing combustion products. Costs should be reduced because the graphite would significantly extend the lifespan of energy-recovery heat exchangers. In addition to electricity generation, the technology should be applicable to energy recovery in residential, commercial, and industrial refrigeration and air conditioning; chemical, petroleum, and industrial plants; and automobiles, trucks, trains, and aircraft."
Fused-core Particles for Ultra-fast Proteomic and Genomic Separations,2R44GM077688-02,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2008,2,675000.00,"ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY, INC.","3521 SILVERSIDE ROAD, SUITE 1-K, QUILLEN BLDG",,WILMINGTON,DE,19810-,No,No,No,,,,,,,,,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project proposes unique column packings for the fast high-performance HPLC of biomacromolecules. Initial focus will be on developing techniques to modify the chemistry of silica surfaces using hydrothermal methods,
so that biomolecular separations are optimized for efficiency, peak shape and compound yields. Second, three new particle types will be synthesized and tested, with two of the new particles optimized for the rapid separation of peptides and proteins, resp
ectively. The third new particle type is for the high-speed separation of larger biomolecular weight components by size-exclusion (gel filtration) liquid chromatography. In Phase 1 grant, 1R43GM077688-01, we developed unique fused-core silica microsphere
s using new nanoparticle technology. These particles are prepared by a proprietary multi- multilayering method that permits the fabrication of strong porous outer shells on solid silica cores. The outer shells can be made with different thicknesses and por
e sizes, depending on intended application. Narrow-pore fused-core particles recently were commercialized to produce HaloTM columns. These columns demonstrate very fast separations of pharmaceutical and small biological compounds because of unusually high
chromatographic efficiency and excellent mass transfer (kinetic) properties. Because of an extremely narrow particle size distribution and higher particle density, packed columns of fused-core particles demonstrate superior efficiency and unusual stability
at high mobile phase flow rates and column inlet pressures. The proposed program will synthesize new wide-pore particles that have the pore size, particle size, outer shell thickness and surface chemistry optimized for the rapid separation of peptides, pr
oteins, DNA fragments, and other higher molecular weight biomacromolecules. These new fused-core particles will be superior for proteomic and genetic studies, especially when multidimensional ( 2-D ) separations are needed, and are highly suited for HPLC/M
S bioscience applications. The new materials proposed in this project for rapid high-resolution liquid chromatographic separations will strongly enhance research efforts in proteomics, DNA-based studies and related bioscience applications. The incre
ased capability for rapid characterizations and measurements will assist in the search for defining the cause and cure of disease-related problems, help in developing new drugs and support projects to improve the environment and general health."
Low-Output High Precision Automated Powder Disseminator,W911S6-07-C-0004,DOD,CBD,SBIR,2007,2,750000.00,"ADVANCED MECHANICAL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY,",327 Nonantum Dr.,,Newark,DE,19716 3787,Yes,No,No,Jue C. Sun,Vice President and CFO,3022921813,jqsun1@gmail.com,Ren-Qiong Xu,Senior Scientist,3022921813,jqsun1@gmail.com,"This proposal presents a Phase II SBIR project to produce prototypes of the automated high precision, low disperse rate powder disseminator for the US Army, that has been successfully designed and analyzed in the Phase I project. In the development of the sensitive detecting agent, we need to release a precise amount of C&B agents in the controlled detection experiments. At the end of this Phase II SBIR project, we shall demonstrate the performance of the automated low-output dry powder disseminator that disperses 1-10 micron powder at variable rates from approximately 350 nanogram/minute to 1 mg/minute, and develop detailed commercialization plans in order to produce the instrument for the US Army laboratories and to explore other industrial applications of the technology, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. The automated powder dissemination system will significantly increase the speed of evaluating various C&B detection agents thus to enhance the country's C&B defense capabilities, and has a potential to deliver a series of commercial products for precision handling of C&B agents in powder and other forms."
Personalized speech output for communication devices,2R42DC006193-03A2,HHS,HHS,STTR,2007,2,839438.00,"AGORANET, INC.","AGORANET, INC.","314 E MAIN ST, STE 1",NEWARK,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,penningt@agora-net.com,H. T. Bunnell,,3026516835,BUNNELL@ASEL.UDEL.EDU,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project encompasses development and testing of a concatenative text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis system known as ModelTalker and software called InvTool which guides individuals in creating personal synthetic voices f
or use with ModelTalker. The overall system is intended to be of particular interest to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device users who depend upon speech synthesis for communication. In addition to improved naturalness and intelligibilit
y, the ModelTalker and InvTool software uniquely offer the capability of rapid development of personal concatenative synthesis voices. With InvTool, individuals such as those with ALS who are at risk of losing the ability to speak can record their own spee
ch for conversion to a personal synthetic voice for the ModelTalker TTS system. This voice banking capability has already been used successfully by a number of ALS patients. This Phase II STTR application seeks funding to complete transfer of the ModelTalk
er and InvTool technology from the research laboratory in which it was developed to a small business for commercialization. Phase II activities will focus on InvTool and the process of automatically constructing highly intelligible personal synthetic voice
s for ModelTalker. In particular, our specific aims for Phase II are: Aim 1 - Enhance the usability of InvTool. We have identified several specific improvements to the InvTool program that will (a) improve general ease of use, (b) improve accessibility for
visually impaired users, and (c) simplify the speech recording process, especially for young users and users with more limited vocabulary and literacy skills. Aim 2 - Implement and test novel speech processing techniques to improve the robustness of our a
utomatic voice construction process while reducing the storage requirements needed for the speech database. Aim 3 - Evaluate the quality (intelligibility and acceptability) of automatically created voices for a representative sample of individuals who can
benefit from this technology recruited through multiple speech clinics around the country. At the completion of Phase II, we will have a) developed a text-to-speech (TTS) system that is usable on all major augmentative communication platforms, b) developed
a distributable software and hardware package for automatic personal synthetic voice construction, and c) established clear expectations for the quality of synthetic speech prospective users of this technology can expect to obtain with their personal synt
hetic voice."
Rapid Detection of Acetylcholinesterase-Inhibiting Pesticides in Water Using a Handheld Assay and Reader,W81XWH-07-C-0015,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2007,2,729094.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Debbi Johnson,Director of Accounting,3022831730,debbi@anptinc.com,Yli Vallejo,Director of Product Devel,3022831730,yli@anptinc.com,"The feasibility of ANP's proposed seld-calibrated rapid test forf AChE inhibitors has been clearly shown in Phase I. Its compatability with ANP's handheld reader for immuno-assay based threat agent rapid testing has been confirmed. Phase II will finalize the design for robustness, full integration with the ANP handheld reader, manufacturing and affordability. Expansion of testing to include a wider range of pesticides and water types is proposed."
"Nuclear Physics Particle and Radiation Detection Systems, Nuclear Targets and High Radiation Environment Beam Transport Components",DE-FG02-07ER84744,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2007,1,99100.00,"Applied Diamond, Inc.",3825 Lancaster Pike,,Wilmington,DE,19805-1558,No,No,No,Peter Morton,Dr,3029991132,pete@ddk.com,Joseph Tabeling,Dr,3029991132,services@usapplieddiamond.com,"Longer-lived stripper foils operating in present-day DOE accelerator facilities, with elements up to mass 100, would provide substantial operating savings and reduced radiation exposure to maintenance personnel. However, the next generation of rare isotope facilities would need even more robust stripper foils to survive exposure to higher-power density beams of even heavier elements, up to uranium. Thin CVD diamond foils present a potential improvement over the amorphous carbon foils currently in use, because of their superior thermal properties, stronger carbon bonding, and increased strength. This project will: (1) identify which CVD diamond characteristics contribute to long life, (2) develop foils with neutral stress profiles, and (3) fabricate stripper foils using this knowledge. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: While the DOE accelerator facilities are the primary beneficiaries of this technology, commercial accelerators used in radioisotope production also would benefit from the savings due to longer-lived foils. High quality, neutral stress diamond membranes also should find application in x-ray lithography, x-ray windows, high energy beam targets and detectors."
Universal Imaging Sensor: Robotic Broadband Night Vision Camera,W31P4Q-07-C-0297,DOD,DARPA,STTR,2007,1,98986.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Sean X. Wang,CTO,3023687824,swang@bwtek.com,Jie Yao,Principal Scientist,3023687824,jiey@bwtek.com,"Imaging sensors are a crucial component of modern defense. The ideal sensor has acute visual sensing capabilities and communicates instantly when threats are identified. It should also have night vision capabilities and cover a broadband spectral range including near ultraviolet and infrared. A robotic broadband night vision camera is highly desirable. Such a robotic broadband low-light-level camera is feasible today. We propose to integrate a broadband semiconductor image intensifier with night vision sensitivity with a commercial-off-the-shelf camera cellular phone, and modify the cell phone circuitry and program it with image recognition and compression algorithms developed by Galaxy Scientific, whose image compression products have been installed on United States Navy 3rd Fleet and seen action in the Persian Gulf in support of Middle Eastern military campaign. Such an autonomous system will combine night vision sensitivities and the broadband ultra-violet, visible and near infrared coverage over 200 - 1650 nm with the light weight, small size and low cost of the commercial camera cell phone. Phase I will see the proof of concept. Phase II will see the integration of the proposed camera into a robotic image requisition, recognition, compression and transmission system for evaluation at DoD laboratories."
Highly Oxygen Permeable Perfluoro Membrane for the Air Cathode of Lithium-Air Batteries,W911QX-07-C-0036,DOD,OSD,SBIR,2007,1,99994.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Louis C. DiNetta,Business Manager,3029997996,ldinetta@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"This proposal addresses development of highly oxygen permeable perfluoromembranes for Lithium-Air organic electrolyte batteries. These batteries have demonstrated very high specific capacity (greater than 500 Wh/kg) at low rates in pure oxygen. Oxygen from the air can be utilized if a membrane is developed that allows for oxygen transport but prevents solvents in the organic electrolyte from diffusion out into cell or attacking the membrane. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) membranes are high flux, defect-free nonporous membranes with very good separation characteristics for passing small molecules such as oxygen while retaining large molecules such as organic based solvents. CMS perfluoromembranes have excellent chemical and thermal resistance and are not plasticized by organic solvents. Data on CMS perfluoro membranes indicate that oxygen/solvent permeability ratios of 850 to 2620 are feasible, well in excess of program target of 200. Program focus will be on providing high oxygen permeability while minimizing loss of the electrolyte material. Liquid-side mass transfer is important to maximize total oxygen transport. The CMS membranes are commercial in several related applications so the probability of technical success is high. The developed oxygen-selective perfluoromembrane is expected to have significant military and commercial applications."
Membrane Produced Oxygen Enriched Air for Diesel Engine Power Enhancement,W909MY-08-C-0020,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2007,1,69999.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,CEO,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Donald Stookey,"Director, Industrial Applications",3029997996,dstookey@compactmembrane.com,"Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) has been a pioneer in modifying the air charge to diesel engines with air separation membranes. Nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) supplied from polymeric membranes mounted on highway truck diesel engines have been shown to substantially reduce the NOx formation and emissions from the engine. The NEA membrane's co-product, Oxygen-enriched air (OEA), when supplied to the intake of laboratory diesel engines has been known to substantially increase the engine's power density. This project will develop a prototype membrane system that will be integrated on a 100 kW Tactical Quiet Generator for the purpose of enhancing combustion of diesel and JP-8 fuels and boosting the engine's power density."
High Temperature Membrane Reactors,DE-FG02-07ER86305,DOE,DOE,STTR,2007,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,Dr,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"Membrane reactors have the potential to improve the reactivity, productivity, and energy efficiency of various chemical syntheses including transesterification. To be of value, the membrane reactors must provide a higher use temperature, improved chemical resistance and better mass transfer. This project will evaluate the use of a high temperature, high mass transfer membrane system to enhance transesterification reactivity. First, novel membrane modules with improved upper-use temperature, chemical resistance, and mass transfer will be fabricated. Then, the modules will be tested to demonstrate enhanced transesterification. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new membrane reactors should impact a broad platform of chemical reactions, leading to energy savings of over 50 trillion BTU/yr. The products impacted include fuel grade ethanol and pipeline ethanol."
Dewatering Membrane for Hazy Hydrodesulfurization Unit Effluents,DE-FG02-07ER84838,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2007,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Refinery product streams, particularly those from Ultra Low Hydrodesulfurisation units, are prone to haze due to water emulsions. Hazy fuel cannot be used until the haze is removed, which creates costly scheduling and shipping delays. This project will develop a novel membrane process to rapidly remove fuel haze in real time. The process would be expected to operate on a once-through basis. Phase I will fabricate novel membrane systems targeted specifically for removal of dissolved and dispersed water from fuels. Once fabricated, the membrane system will be tested under a wide variety of water-fuel conditions to demonstrate removal of haze. An economic analysis will be performed, based on the data from earlier tasks. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: This platform technology should have large impact on a number of areas of interest to the Department of Energy. In addition to the removal of haze from fuel, applications include enhancing chemical reactors by removing by-product water, drying pipeline ethanol and other organics, and stabilizing hydraulic fluid by removing water."
Enhanced Performance of Agriculture Based Biodegradable Hydraulic Fluids,2007-33610-18553,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2007,2,346000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants & Financial Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Farm equipment and other industries use biodegradable hydraulic fluids (BHF), esters based on agricultural raw materials, that provide rapid decomposition and reduced environmental problems associated with spills. Hydrolytic stability is major problem, since BHFs react with dissolved water creating alcohols and acids accelerating degradation.
This program introduces a membrane system to remove water and stabilize BHF. The inert membrane withstands harsh thermal and chemical environments and in-line systems remove water in real time. Phase I was very successful both technically and commercially. Using commercial products, we demonstrated rapid 90% removal of water (program goal of 50%) and showed water removal dramatically reduced deleterious acid formation. Systems showed excellent stability. Engineering and economic analysis projected system costs less than $1,000 with payback time of seven months. These positive results encouraged industry players to provide key support for Phase II and subsequent commercialization.
Phase II will integrate commercial membrane modules into hydraulic systems in laboratory followed by full scale field tests to demonstrate a field system with costs less than $1,000 and payback times less than one year. Previous results in combination with key industrial partners and our commercial manufacturing infrastructure positions the program for Phase II and commercial success."
Small Scale Ethanol Drying,EP-D-07-047,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2007,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Maiumdar,"Director, Application Development",3029997996,smaiumdar@compactmenbrane.com,"There continues to be a need for production of fuel-grade ethanol from agricultural sources. The Federal Government is actively looking for biomass renewable feed stocks for enhancing gasoline and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Ethanol from agricultural sources has many advantages including development of fuel independence, and ethanol has significant value as an oxygenate and octane improver, to name a few. Unlike gasoline, use of ethanol does not generate new greenhouse gases. Also, with significant environmental pressure to move away from MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) as an oxygenate because of its environmental effect, there is further need of ethanol. While there continues to be a significant need for ethanol, the cost of agricultural based ethanol and most specifically, the energy costs associated with developing dry fuel-grade ethanol are quite severe. Existing and new legislation provides significant incentives for use of fuel grade ethanol. Costs for manufacturing fuel grade ethanol especially on small facilities is significant.
Membrane processes are ideal for small applications. This is because the key components in membrane processes is the membranes and the associated pumps scale down linearly. Therefore while many existing biomass-to-ethanol plants are at 40 million gallons per year or greater and very few are at 10 million gallons per year, if a membrane process could be developed to be focuses on fuel grade ethanol membranes would be the most advantageous route for operation.
The product concept associated with this program is to operate primarily membrane and related processes to convert low volumes of biomass to fuel grade ethanol. In phase I we will demonstrate all key components of the membrane process on water-ethanol streams. Using this basic data we will do engineering evaluation to determine overall process costs. Our objective is to show a membrane process that is superior to any other process for 10 million gallon per year operation and that costs for fuel grade ethanol at 10 million gallons/yr are within 10% of large scale (40 million gallon/yr facility).
Compact Membrane Systems has established key industrial relationships with both membrane companies and ethanol engineering design firms. These relationships will be helpful in this SBIR and subsequent commercialization."
Enhanced Processing of Natural Foods,2007-33610-18002,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2007,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Louis DiNetta,Business Manager,3029997996,ldinetta@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"The development of new technology that can facilitate natural food and flavor biochemistry reactions has potential to have fundamental and tremendous impact on food science and nutrition and other high value products. Reactor time and temperature are an extraordinarily expensive aspect of food and flavor development. Enabling technology that can improve product yield, improve separation, decrease reaction time and temperature and also increase manufacturing intensity will be of broad value.
Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. in conjunction with Georgia Tech has identified an innovative method to improve biochemical synthesis. Program focus will entail utilization of novel family of membrane reactors in combination with innovative reactive intensification synthesis conditions. This combination will result in improvements in product yield, improved separation, decreased reaction time and reduced operating temperature.
This SBIR will combine novel membrane with a solvent-free synthesis of catalytic (enzymatic) esterification of citronellol with glacial acidic acid. Phase I will demonstrate enhanced reactivity from instantaneous water removal and improved synthesis since final separation of product and associated process intensification will be improved sine no separation from solvent is required.
In parallel, CMS has established strong relationships with industrial partners. These partners will aid in both this SBIR program and downstream commercialization.
Given platform technology and industrial partners, this program should successfully enhance synthesis of natural products. This will provide value for low cost high quality foods. This will enhance populations potential for low cost quality food alternatives. Program will provide the agricultural industry with low cost way of making value added products."
Stabilizing Hydraulic Fluid by Removing Water,DE-FG02-06ER86268,DOE,DOE,STTR,2007,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Mr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,Dr,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"In the electrical power, steel production, and aluminum production industries, flame retardant, phosphate-ester hydraulic fluids are used to minimize fires. Although these fluids accomplish the fire-minimization task, they are unstable, which causes performance to suffer with attendant losses in productivity. This project will develop novel, chemically-resistant high-flux membranes that can remove the chemical reactants that make these hydraulic fluids unstable. The resultant process will be performed on-line, thereby minimizing degradation and enhancing productivity. Phase I will first design and fabricate custom membrane systems. Candidates will be screened for feasibility; then, enhanced performance and stability will be demonstrated, using a commercial flare-retardant phosphate ester. This step will be followed by long-term testing and economic analysis. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The underlying technology concerns the removal of small undesirable molecules (e.g. oxygen, water) from organic liquids. Although the current application focuses on stabilizing flame retardant, phosphate-ester hydraulic fluids for power plants, steel plants and aluminum plants, many other petrochemical streams (e.g., oxygen removal from monomers, removal of gases from transformer oil) would be candidate applications for the technology."
Enhanced Distillation via Membranes for Elimination of Trapped Water,DE-FG02-06ER84530,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2007,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Kenneth J. Pennisi,Mr,3029997996,kpennisi@compactmembrane.com,"Distillation is a major chemical unit operation and consumer of significant energy. Often, water or some other intermediate boiling component can become trapped within the distillation column and accumulate. This causes various operating difficulties such as flooding, slugging, cycling, instability, and off-spec product. This project will develop a chemically-resistant, non-porous, water-venting membrane technology to improve distillation operating efficiency in systems that are prone to water trapping. In Phase I, chemically and thermally resistant membrane modules were fabricated and used to separate water from target distillation products. The membrane process was modeled and simulated, and an economic analysis was performed to quantify the economic and energy value of eliminating the trapped water. Phase II will demonstrate that the technology: (1) can be used to significantly reduce the concentration of water in a specific process when water trapping is occurring; (2) has the necessary mechanical strength and chemical resistance to provide stable performance over extended periods of exposure to process materials at the process temperature and pressure; and (3) will provide economic benefits in comparison to other available techniques. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Water is a ubiquitous substance and is a common cause of component trapping problems in distillation columns. The membrane technology should enhance the distillation process in many situations when distillation trapping is a major problem. The membrane technology should have additional value in other distillation applications where removal of water is difficult (e.g., azeotropes)."
Novel Platform for Enhanced Membrane Reactors for Homogeneous Catalysis,DE-FG02-06ER84529,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2007,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Membrane reactors have been proposed for a number of syntheses. However, to be competitive with conventional technologies, membrane reactors must provide better selectivity, permeability, and stability. This project will develop a novel platform with enhanced membrane permeability and stability, as needed for broad membrane reactor utilization. In Phase I, a chemically resistant membrane reactor, based on novel composite membranes, was fabricated. Large improvements in reaction rate, yield, and subsequent ease of downstream separation were demonstrated. The results suggested 35% energy savings. Phase II will fabricate larger prototype hollow fiber membrane reactors, which will provide not only the needed chemical and thermal resistance but also the desired flux and separation properties. Enhanced homogeneous catalysis will be demonstrated for specific esterification processes. The system will be field tested, and an economic evaluation will be performed. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The enhanced membrane reactors should impact a broad platform of chemical reactions that produce over 5 billion pounds of product annually. Over 50 trillion BTU of energy could be saved each year."
STTR Phase I: Novel Membrane Modules for Degassing Oils,0637596,NSF,NSF,STTR,2007,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Sudipto R. Majundar,PhD,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto M. Majumdar,Dr,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will introduce a simple online system to continuously remove dissolved water and oxygen from transformer oil. The insulating materials used in large transformers consist of paper and dielectric oils, which provide a means of cooling. Over time, the insulating materials degrade as a result of chemical attack associated with the paper and small reactive molecules within the transformer oil.This technology addresses intermediate size markets (eg. transformer oil) and many very large markets of national interest. This product will first and foremost be an excellent tool for extending the useful life of transformers. There are many other potential applications, such as: removal of dissolved water from hydraulic fluids biodegradable hydraulic fluids; removal of water at low concentrations from products such as fuel grade ethanol; regeneration of solvents due to the stability and high permeability of the membrane at low water activity; and enhancement of chemical reactions by water removal which can drive equilibrium reactions."
STTR Phase I: Novel Membrane Reactors for Biosynthesis,0637647,NSF,NSF,STTR,2007,1,150000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine B. Lester,PhD,3029997996,nadine.lester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart M. Nemser,Dr,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to develop a reactor for the processing of vegetable oils or their resulting fatty acids to sugar esters. The membrane reactor system is envisioned to be permeable to small molecules, hydrogen and water. The esterification of fatty acids and sugars will occur in a non-aqueous environment and the water level in the reactor will be controlled by membrane properties and transmembrane pressure. It is expected that high conversion to sugar esters can be obtained at low enzyme concentrations. Moreover, continuous operation of the reactor can result in high productivity."
Novel Pharmaceutical Solvent-Water Separation System,2R44GM071093-02,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2007,2,863147.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Louis Dinetta,,,rtierney@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In Phase I we exceeded all key objectives. We demonstrated in both pervaporation and vapor separation the combination of high membrane permeation and high membrane separation when evaluating isopropyl alcohol (IPA)-Wate
r separation. Membrane stability, which had been concern of reviewers, was shown to be excellent and far superior to other commercial membranes. CMS membranes were shown to be stable up to 130'C and over the whole compositional operating range. Economic ev
aluations showed the CMS membranes to have in excess of 80% capital savings compared to existing drying processes. In addition to work on IPA-water, two other pharmaceutical solvents were successfully evaluated. Leaching studies have shown the CMS membrane
s to be stable. Based on results and commercialization analysis the CMS system is seen as a platform technology. Significant opportunities exist in pharmaceutical solvent recovery enhancing chemical reactions, chemical industry solvent recovery, manufactur
e of fuel grade ethanol and stabilizing industrial esters. With many opportunities, a large number of industrial and pharmaceutical companies as well as leading researchers have committed to actively participate in this program. This participation will enh
ance overall chances for commercialization. In Phase II we will first fabricate high flux composite membrane modules. Then we would focus our demonstration on IPA-water systems operating in pervaporation (PV) mode. Focus will be on PV since this is the sim
plest system for the end user. Once successful basic data on IPA-water in PV is obtained we will expand the evaluation to other pharmaceutical solvents and also evaluating membranes in the vapor separation mode. Additional upgrades will include modeling an
d system design to enhance overall purification; long term testing plus extended solvent leaching tests; develop enhanced membrane modules using commercial hollow fiber supports; building large skid for field testing and expanding our economic evaluation t
o show superior performance to alternative drying routes. Throughout this Phase II we will work closely with our industrial partners. This program develops a low cost, simple, process to recover pharmaceutical solvents. This will encourage solvent reuse wh
ich is environmentally attractive and cost effective. The process will also keep potential biological contaminants out of the environment."
SBIR Phase I: Polymer Alloy Seal,0637751,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2007,1,92950.00,Kubota Research Associates,100 Hobson Drive,,Hockessin,DE,-,No,No,No,John W. Long,PhD,3022358048,long@kubotaresearch.com,John W. Long,PhD,3022358048,long@kubotaresearch.com,"The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a polymer alloy material and sealing process using high-speed near-infrared radiation welding, to form a waterproof bond in the assembly of proton exchange membrane and direct methanol fuel cells. A key objective of the proposed work is to screen candidate polymers to formulate alloy seals with maximum sealing bonding strength and optimum resistance to chemical and mechanical degradation. The proposed sealing material and welding process will provide a path for new high efficiency fuel cell manufacturing technology. The proposed technology will provide the flexibility to weld alloy seals at needed locations to produce a unitized fuel cell structure; thereby, reducing the number of individual components and assembly steps, increasing quality and reducing costs. Additionally, the infrared welding process will lend itself to high speed automated manufacturing."
SBIR Phase I: PMC Manufacturing Process,0711789,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2007,1,100000.00,Kubota Research Associates,100 Hobson Drive,,Hockessin,DE,-,No,No,No,John W. Long,PhD,3022358048,long@kubotaresearch.com,John W. Long,PhD,3022358048,long@kubotaresearch.com,"The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will demonstrate the use of a new carbon/epoxy prepeg formulation and tape placement process to produce a polymer matrix composite (PMC) that meets large aircraft structural compsoite specifications. Conventional carbon/epoxy prepeg and tape placement processing may produce composites with bubble and void defects. Two innovative technologies are integrated to accomplish this proposal. A carbon/epoxy prepeg tape is made by dispersing an infrared absorber into an epoxy resin and coating the resin onto carbon fiber. An infrared radiation unit is used to uniformly irradiate the prepeg tape during layup, minimizing bubbles and voids in the final composite. The proposed work will define the prepeg formulation and radiation processing conditions to form a dfect free composite, evaluate the composite properties and define the requirements for prepeg manufactuing scaleup in a Phase II program. Upon successful demomnstration of the proposed research, the participating prepeg supplier and aircraft parts manufacturer are seeking a rapid scaleup in Phase II and commercialization of the prepeg and automated tape placement process. There is an immediate industry demand for a defect free PMC manufacturing process to replacing the current, less consistent process. Availability of a defect free PMC process will drive expansion of composite use and growth in the aircraft-manufacturing segment and subsequent growth of the total US economy. The new PMC process is broadly applicable in military and commercial aircraft, ground transportation vehicles, marine boats and industrial equipment manufacturing. The proposed research includes support and training for an undergraduate student."
STTR Phase I: Planar Array Infrared (PA-IR): A Compact Rugged Double Beam Infrared Spectrometer for Laboratory and Field Analysis,0711781,NSF,NSF,STTR,2007,1,149899.00,"PAIR Technologies, LLC",P.O. Box 7167,,Wilmington,DE,19803-0167,No,No,No,Daniel B. Frost,PhD,3027538721,dwf62@comcast.net,Daniel A. Frost,Mr,3027538721,dwf62@comcast.net,"This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I research project will demonstrate the utility of infrared planar array technology to study water pollutants such as industrial contaminants and biological impurities. It is proposed to design and build a compact, high-sensitivity, double beam infrared instrument based on focal plane array detection, which meets or exceeds performance standards of commercially available devices and is able to operate in ambient environments to provide measurements of dilute concentrations of organic and biological contaminants. Infrared spectroscopy has the molecular specificity to provide both qualitative identification of contaminants and quantitative measurement of concentrations. However, existing IR instruments based on Fourier transform techniques are limited in their ability to make these measurements rapidly under ambient conditions. The research will apply this innovative technology to enable real time effluent detection from a manufacturing site such as that found at chemical company sites to realize tangible savings from being able to pro-actively identify and measure the presence of pollutants. This reconfigurable and potentially portable instrument will assist scientists (academic, industrial and government) who work in analytical labs and require high speed measurements and/or those involved in environmental monitoring where sensing speed is important."
Distributed Coordination of Large UAV teams with Limited and Intermittent Communication,N00014-07-M-0423,DOD,NAVY,STTR,2007,1,69890.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Frank Abbott,"VP of Administration & Finance, CFO",3028948045,fta@quantumleap.us,Ganesh Vaidyanathan,Director,3028948044,gv@quantumleap.us,"Efficient coordination among heterogeneous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) promises to revolutionize the way in which complex tasks such as battlefield surveillance and support can be performed. However, current algorithms are not capable of achieving efficient and effective coordination such as dynamic task allocation and reallocation among large numbers of UAVs due to either the severe bottleneck of centralized algorithms or assumptions of perfect and unlimited communication. In this STTR, Quantum Leap Innovations (QLI), in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania, proposes to construct a mathematically rigorous framework for evaluation and refinement of existing distributed coordination and control algorithms for large numbers of UAVs in the presence of limited, intermittent and asynchronous communication. Two key features of the proposed highly innovative framework include (1) the development of Token- Based Distributed Constraint Optimization (DCOP) algorithm for dynamic prioritysensitive task allocation and reallocation; (2) the introduction of limited and intermittent communication to the existing motion planning algorithm for the computation of trajectories for a cluster of UAVs. In Phase I, we will focus on development and integration of the high-level DCOP-based coordination algorithm for dynamic task allocation/reallocation and low-level robust motion planning algorithm with real-time spatial and temporal constraints. The feasibility of this approach will be demonstrated with a simple and user-friendly human interface that can enable multiple operators to manage large numbers of UAVs for their time-critical intelligence needs in a simplified simulation for battlefield search and coverage. In addition, Phase I option will involve the design of a framework in which we will provide a quantitative analysis of the success likelihood for a sequence of tasks from different operators and ensure each operator has adequate understanding of the capability of the UAV system and the process of tasks allocation and execution."
Improved Radio Frequency (RF) Polymer Substrates for Antennas,FA8650-07-M-5054,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2007,1,100000.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,President,3023799808,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,Guixiang Yang,Senior Research Scientist,4843197949,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,"Leveraging Spectrum Magnetics' expertise in large scale fabrication of nanomaterials by gas phase aerosol technologies, supported by University of Delaware's leading edge research in magnetodielectric materials with simultaneously large permittivity and permeability in GHz, we propose to fabricate and optimize RF polymers that promise applications in antenna with much improved loss tangent, without sacrificing its benefit in impendence match, bandwidth and miniaturization. Other significant technology applications also exist such as microwave devices, filters, and DC/DC converters that have sizable market shares. Our on-going work confirmed our proposed concept that magnetic materials with low energy loss above 1 GHz must first be developed. Guide by the material physics behind high frequency materials; we choose and modify materials to achieve high magnetization, high resistivity, but work against high demagnetization factor; subsequently embedding the as developed low loss GHz magnetic core in suitable polymers will achieve RF polymers with desirable properties. Our approach will provide a convenient manufacturing route for making RF polymers at a lowered cost. In Phase I, we will demonstrate RF polymers with permittivity and permeability larger than 3 above 1 GHz frequencies with loss tangent less than 5x10-3."
Graphite Foam Heat Exchanger Technology for Energy Recovery,DE-FG02-07ER84807,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2007,1,99434.00,Thermal Centric Corporation,108 W 13th Street,,Wilmington,DE,19801,No,No,Yes,Daniel Bariault,Mr,7872254321,dbariault@thermalcentric.com,Brian E. Thompson,Dr,7873658707,bthompson@thermalcentric.com,"Thermal management is important in nearly every commercial and industrial sector. In the power generation industry, even modest improvements in energy recovery effectiveness can result in more environmentally-conscious power generation and billions of dollars in annual savings. This project will develop technology for using graphite foam in gas-to-liquid energy recovery heat exchangers for specific application in the power generation industry. Graphite foam heat exchangers will provide significant size and weight advantages compared to conventional aluminum and stainless steel heat exchangers, thereby reducing space requirements and simplifying installation. Furthermore, the thermal contact mechanism will simplify assembly and maintenance, extend the lifespan, and reduce cost. Phase I will validate the technology for the graphite foam, energy-recovery heat exchanger. Phase II will develop full-scale prototypes for conducting field studies. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: In addition to the power plant application, graphite foam thermal management should be extendable to other gas-to-liquid applications in: automobiles, trucks, trains, airplanes, and satellites; residential, commercial, and industrial refrigeration and air conditioning; and chemical, petroleum, food-processing, and manufacturing."
Bi-Directional Power Converters,N00014-07-M-0038,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2007,1,69981.00,"CREATIVE ENERGY SOLUTIONS, INC.","2601 Annand Dr., Suite 16",,Wilmington,DE,19808,No,No,No,Theresea Quattrachi,Controller,3029988824,theresa.quattrochi@unicapman.com,Thomas Fikse,President & Founder,3026684336,tom.fikse@comcast.net,"The founders of CES have identified three shortcomings of the proposed Integrated Fight Through Power (IFTP) system. The system's lack of galvanic isolation will lead to ship-wide ground fault problems. The system's inability to incorporate alternative power sources (fuel cells or energy storage systems) results from unidirectional power flow. The system's use of non-commercial bus voltages does not permit the inclusion of commercial power electronics forcing costly dedicated converter developments. CES proposes to rapidly demonstrate a bi-directional galvanically isolated power converter that operates at standard voltages. Further, CES will demonstrate these three improvements through modeling and experimentation. We anticipate matching or improving current IFTP power density and efficiency numbers. Because of topology choice, it is anticipated that only turns ratio variations will be required to match any navy load. CES hopes to demonstrate that a standard design practice can be employed to these dc transformers, like a traditional ac transformer. Ultimately, this topology will be transitioned to IFTP vendors for inclusion in military systems and CES will focus on integrating them within alternative energy systems for the electrical grid."
Low-Output High Precision Automated Powder Disseminator,W911S6-06-C-0007,DOD,CBD,SBIR,2006,1,69583.00,"ADVANCED MECHANICAL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY,",327 Nonantum Dr.,,Newark,DE,19716 3787,Yes,No,No,J. Q. Sun,,3022921813,jqsun1@comcast.net,Ren-Qiong Xu,,3022921813,jqsun1@comcast.net,"This proposal presents a Phase I SBIR project to develop a high precision, low disperse rate powder disseminator for the US Army. In the development of the sensitive detecting agent, we need to release a precise amount of C&B agents in the controlled detection experiments. However, such a technology does not exist at the present time. After examining existing technologies, we believe that the requirement of this SBIR call can be met only if new designs and control concepts are introduced. This SBIR project intends to design and develop a portable, low-output dry powder disseminator that disperses 1-10 micron powder at variable rates from approximately 350 nanogram/minute to 1 mg/minute. The technology to be developed by this project will significantly increase the speed of evaluating various C&B detection agents thus to enhance the country's C&B defense capabilities, and has a potential to deliver a series of commercial products for precision handling of C&B agents in powder and other forms. The potential markets of the variants of the technology will include defense as well as pharmaceutical and chemical industries."
High-throughput Prediction of Compound Tissue Distribution,1R43GM078881-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2006,1,99909.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,Mary Reppy,,3026544492,reppy@absbio.com,Mary Reppy,,3026544492,reppy@absbio.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of the proposed research is to develop tools for the prediction of the distribution of drug compounds in the human body. There is currently no experimental high throughput screening (HTS) method for determining compound tissue distribution. A drug compound's propensity to be taken up by different tissues and organs affects whether it will reach its action target, whether it will cause undesirable side-effects and hence, whether it will be clinically viable. A high-throughput in vitro method for predicting distribution of drug compounds in the human body would be an important addition to pre-clinical screening of new chemical entities (NCEs). This proposal is for the development of a novel method for the prediction for NCEs of the overall volume of distribution (Vss) and the relative distribution among tissues, consisting of a unique combination of simple fluorescent liposome-based in vitro screening assays and state- of-the-art computational models. The proposed method will be used in the pre-clinical evaluation of drug candidates to provide a standard and cost effective way to predict the overall distribution and specific tissue uptake of drug candidates. Prediction of what will happen to a drug compound in the body is an important part of the drug development process. We are proposing to develop new tools for predicting where in the human body drug compounds will be distributed; this information will allow drug developers to determine early in the development cycle whether their drug candidates will reach their target and aid in their analysis of overall compound pharmacokinetics. Implementation of these tools will reduce the cost of drug development and accelerate the drug discovery process."
Novel Protein Nanodelivery Systems for Biological Agent Countermeasures,W81XWH-05-C-0039,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2006,2,729844.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Thomas Bodnar,VP of Business Operations,3022831730,tom@anptinc.com,Robert G. Daniel,VP of Research & Technolo,3022831730,robert@anptinc.com,We propose to continue the development and characterization of a polymeric nanoencapsulation technology that can increase the lifetime of a protein therapeutic agent within a biological system. The materials have been demonstrated to exhibit no cytotoxicity and to efficiently deliver antibody against Protective Antigen of bacillus anthracis.
Rapid Detection of Acetylcholinesterase-Inhibiting Pesticides in Water Using a Handheld Assay and Reader,W81XWH-07-C-0015,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2006,1,69898.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Robert Daniel,VP of Research & Technology,3022831730,robert@anptinc.com,Yli Vallejo,Senior Director of Product Developm,3022831730,yli@anptinc.com,We propose that a comparative colorimetric assay be developed that will use a ticket of the same dimensions as the current ANP immunoassay tickets. This will allow the AChE test to be conducted using a similar workflow as the lateral flow immunoassay-based HHAs and be similarly read on the ANP reader to yield an unambiguous result independent of user judgment.
Pathogen Concentration from Complex Water Supplies,W911SR-06-C-0039,DOD,ARMY,STTR,2006,1,99970.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Robert Daniel,VP of Research & Technology,3022831730,robert@anptinc.com,Matthew Odom,,3022831730,matt@anptinc.com,"ANP Technologies proposes to develop a sample concentration system that uses commercial hollow fiber filtration technology with permanent anti-fouling coatings to concentrate biological contaminants in water sources or supplies to a level high enough to be readily detected. The filter technology will allow simple and quick release of the contaminants into a much smaller volume without the use of recovery buffers, and be reusable. The concentrator can be used to monitor water supplies for a wide variety of Biological Warfare (BW) agents and non-BW water borne pathogens."
Development Of A Pulsed Light Emitting Diode Dental Photocuring System,2R44DE014312-02,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2006,2,662210.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,,,3023687824,,Jack X. Zhou,,3023687824,JZHOU@BWTEK.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): LED based curing lights are beginning to replace conventional halogen lamps as the first choice for dental photo-curing applications. The target of this proposal is to develop a new generation LED dental curing light. It will be the first curing light that is optimized according to the kinetic response of the dental composite, which plays a key role in determining the curing time, the quality of the cured resin, and the heat production. The proposed LED light cures the dental composite by a train of short-duration light pulses, where the time scale of the pulse width and pulse period is designed to match with the response time of the photo-initiation process. This 'resonant' curing mode yields the best quantum efficiency for photo-polymerization. Phase I study of this project leads to successful demonstration of the feasibility and advantages of the proposed pulsed LED light over conventional light curing units (LCUs). It was found that the pulsed LED light yields 10-12% more curing depth and better surface hardness than that obtained by a continuous wave (CW) light with same exposure energy. For phase II project, we will establish a simple but practical model to analyze the kinetic characteristics of the photo-polymerization process and use the model as a guide to help us further explore the potential of the pulsed LED light for dental composite curing. A Raman spectrometer will be utilized in combination with the pulsed LED for real time and in situ monitoring of the photo-polymerization process as to obtain the parameters used in the kinetic model. We will conduct a systematic study on the physical properties of the dental composite cured by both conventional LCUs and the proposed pulsed LED, which will be used to further optimize the pulse sequence. A novel automatic curing time control method employing fluorescence level monitoring at off-time of the pulse train will also be explored. Finally, we will develop a prototype pulsed LED photo-curing system capable of curing all dental polymer resins currently on the market in a time scale comparable to that can be obtained using laser radiation (typically 5-10 seconds) and with a high ""quality"" of cure in terms of depth of cure, hardness, shrinkage, shear bond strength, and temperature change in the resin."
High Sensitivity Rugged Array Detectors for Field Deployed Instruments: Low-Light Level Camera for Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Ram,W911QX-07-C-0022,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2006,1,70000.00,B & W TEK INC.,#19 Shea Way,Suite 301,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Pei P. Tzeng,Account Manager,3023687824,peipei@bwtek.com,Sean X. Wang,CTO,3023687824,swang@bwtek.com,"Low-light-level photodetector arrays are proposed for detecting the weak optical emission spectra from the trace atoms in the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The proposed semiconductor image intensifier and low-light-level camera utilize the miniaturized and monolithically integrated version of a proven solid-state detector technology, and is expected to be able to detect femto-watts (namely, 10^(-15) of 1 watt) of optical signal on each pixel with a gating time of 1 micro-second. The proposed research and development will significantly increase the sensitivity of the current LIBS chemical sensor systems, and therefore, enable more accurate detection of explosives at larger distances."
Enhanced Control of Fruit Ripening,2006-33610-17373,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2006,2,296000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants & Financial Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Ethylene is a growth hormone for fruits and vegetables that is generated by the plants themselves; that is, it acts as a self-ripening agent. Hence, the removal of ethylene gas can play a central role in maintaining the freshness of these products. Whereas the temperature and the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide gases are also important system variables that demand a significant economic investment in order to maintain fresh produce, it is the effects of uncontrolled ethylene gas that lead to significant amounts of product loss for both the wholesale and retail distributions of these foods. Importantly, much of the loss manifests itself as a reduced food quality rather than actual product loss. This SBIR program introduces a novel technique for the selective, controlled destruction and removal of ethylene. A successful control of the ethylene gas concentration would lead to a greater preservation of fruits and vegetables. In turn, these items could be shipped longer distances and over extended times, features that would enhance their value greatly. The overall purpose of the present project is to develop a low-cost, drop-in module that is a viable alternative to high-cost alternatives."
Hybrid Membrane Distillation Process for Enhanced Integrated Ethanol Production,DE-FG02-05ER84224,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2006,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,Dr.,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"The conversion of corn and other biomass to fuel grade ethanol not only would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources but also would be a major industrial application for agricultural products. However, the process of drying the ethanol to fuel grade consumes significant amounts of energy, incurring costs that continue to increase as cost of natural gas increases. This project will develop technology for introducing a hybrid membrane distillation process that will significantly reduce both the energy and capital requirements for drying. Phase I demonstrated that the membrane technology could preferentially remove water from water-ethanol azeotrope and produce fuel grade ethanol (FGE). The membranes were shown to operate at high temperature (130oC) and high pressure (200 psia) while providing high flux, high separation, excellent chemical resistance, and long term stability. An engineering and economic model demonstrated that the membrane modules could provide major savings in both capital costs ($0.7 versus $4.2 million) and energy consumption (33 ¿ 239 billion BTU/yr) for a typical 70 million gallon/yr ethanol plant, compared to conventional molecular-sieve driers. In Phase II, both prototype laboratory systems and field test systems will be built and evaluated. Participation by ethanol design firms will facilitate field testing and subsequent engineering and economic analysis.Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The intial target market for this technology is the growing 13 billion gallon/year ethanol business. The technology also should be applicable to many other energy intensive separation processes"
Hybrid Anti-Fouling Membrane System for Natural Gas Separation,DE-FG02-05ER84225,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2006,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Donald J J. Stookey,Dr.,3029997996,dstookey@compactmembrane.com,"The need for natural gas continues to grow, and recent increases in petroleum prices have been paralleled by large increases in the price of natural gas. However, natural gas at the source often has high concentrations of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, which must be removed. Although existing commercial polymeric membranes (e.g. cellulose acetate and polysulfone) do a good job of sweetening the natural gas by removing both carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide to meet feed line requirements, these membranes are subject to foulant disruptions, which can lead to system outage and loss of productivity. This project will develop natural-gas-sweetening membranes that offer dramatically-improved fouling resistance while maintaining commercial flux and separation targets. The fouling resistance will be broad based and will have application to many membrane foulants and many membrane systems. Phase I demonstrated that the enhanced fouling resistance for natural gas sweetening membranes would significantly reduce the fouling outages. An engineering and economic analysis suggested a 1% increase in natural gas capacity (based on reduced outages) and significant energy savings associated with less loss of natural gas, due to high membrane effective selectivity. Phase II will: (1) optimize system performance related to fouling resistance, separation, flux, and projected cost; (2) fabricate full-scale membrane modules for laboratory and field testing; (3) perform extensive and long term (e.g., 1000 hours) laboratory testing with multiple foulants; (4) perform field testing at an actual site; and (5) upgrade the economic evaluation. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The high-selectivity and robust membranes should economically enhance the 30% of natural gas wells in the United States that are in need of upgrading to remove impurities. This represents 62 quads of energy. Additionally, this technology should have application to enhanced carbon monoxide and methane separation in oil recovery operations"
Enhanced Ethanol Diesel Blends for Emission Reduction,EP-D-06-024,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2006,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,sturat.nemser@compactmembrane.com,Donald Stookey,Director Industrial Technology,3029997996,donald.stookey@compactmembrane.com,"New engine diesel pollution is addressed in the EPA Clean Diesel Truck/Bus and low sulfur diesel rule and non-road diesel rule. Unfortunately, slow fleet turnover with extend full implementation. EPA is interested in both retrofit technologies that reduce emissions (particulate matter, volatile organic pollutants, NOx) from diesel sources and also interested in new bio-diesel implementation technologies.
In this program, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) will simultaneously address both of these issues. Ethanol diesel fuel blends have shown that they can reduce many emissions (particulate matter, volatile organic pollutants, CO) by over 20%. Unfortunately, the ethanol-diesel (e-diesel) fuels do not significantly affect NOx emissions. CMS proposed the simultaneous use of e-diesel fuels with retrofit membrane technology. The latter retrofit membrane technology has already demonstrated an ability to reduce NOx emissions by over 50% with no significant change in other emissions. Both e-diesels and CMS membranes are easily retrofitable technology which is one to EPA¿s key objectives. Also ethanol prices ($/gallon) are significantly lower than other bio-diesel sources. Also, ethanol¿s BTU/$ is much higher than other bio-diesels. This therefore addresses a second EPA objective related to low cost bio-diesel production technologies. There is also special synergy between CMS technology and e-diesel. E-diesel is more combustible mixture and by using nitrogen enriched air from CMS membrane this reduces or controls the e-diesel combustibility which is desirable.
In Phase I, CMS will demonstrate on a 20 kw Lister-Petter diesel engine using an appropriate ethanol-diesel fuel blend and appropriate controls that low cost ethanol based bio-diesel in combustion with novel CMS retrofit membrane broadly reduces emissions by at least 20% across the board with no significant (less than 2%) fuel penalty.
CMS has established key relationships with major industrial and industrial membrane companies. There relationships will enhance CMS¿s ability to be successful in Phase I/Phase II and subsequent downstream"
Enhanced Performance of Agriculture Based Biodegradable Hydraulic Fluids,2006-33610-16841,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2006,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants & Financial Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Chairman,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,A. Water must be removed from biodegradable hydraulic fluids as they react with water and degrade insitu. B. Biodegradable hydraulic fluids for farm equipment provide a significant improvement over traditional petroleum based fluids due to decreased pollution. Increase the use and value of biodegradable hydraulic fluids by development of a membrane-based dewatering system.
Agricultural Emissions Reduction Using Bio-Fuels with Membrane Supplied Nitrogen,2006-33610-16821,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2006,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants & Financial Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Donald Stookey,,3029997996,donald.stookey@compactmembrane.com,"The use of biodiesel offers significant advantages with regards to the reduction of total harmful engine emissions with the exception of NOx. Biodiesel is a renewable resource and soybean oil is known to be economically viable as a biodiesel fuel. Recent studies from the Environmental Protection Agency have shown that soybean oil alone or blended with #2 diesel fuel results in a significant decrease in PM, CO, and HC. However, the NOx emissions increase. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) proposes to develop a field installable system for the reduction of NOx emissions from agricultural diesel powered engines burning biodiesel fuel without the use of additional exhaust gas abatement."
Improved Dehydration Process for Pharmaceutical Synthesis,1R43GM077717-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2006,1,128500.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,STUART.NEMSERCOMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Sudipto Majumdar,,3029997996,SUDIP.MAJUMDAR@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Most pharmaceutical synthesis involve condensation or dehydration reactions at some point in the process that generates water as a by-product. This water must be removed since (1) water is often not a desirable component of the finished product, (2) water limits conversion to final product, and (3) water generated slows the reaction rate. Many Pharmaceuticals have thermal limitations and therefore removing the water by boiling it off is simply not attractive due to product degradation. Membrane reactors have been proposed for a number of pharmaceutical syntheses. To be competitive with conventional technologies, membrane reactors must be shown to have better selectivity, permeability and stability and ability to perform at lower temperatures. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has identified a novel product concept that represents a broad platform for utilization of membrane reactors in pharmaceutical synthesis. Preliminary economic and engineering analysis shows that removal of water will significantly increase yield (literature shows 33%) and therefore lower reagent consumption. Further, the desired product downstream separation and purification can be dramatically simplified. Therefore, enhanced water removal reduces production costs in these ways: higher yield, faster reaction and purer product. This enhanced manufacturing process is consistent with the Federal Initiative on Broad Manufacturing Enhancements to strengthen the United States Competitive Position. While many systems can be used in Phase I to demonstrate the feasibility of the product concept, we will focus on an appropriate model system. In Phase I we will first fabricate membrane reactor and then demonstrate enhanced performance. This will be followed by long term testing and economic analysis. CMS has established key industrial relationships with major membrane companies, material suppliers, chemical synthesis companies and key end users. These relationships will help CMS in successfully completing Phase I and II of this program and most importantly subsequent commercialization. Overall market opportunity is seen as very large related to broad pharmaceutical utilization in many synthesis."
Stabilizing Hydraulic Fluid by Removing Water,DE-FG02-06ER86268,DOE,DOE,STTR,2006,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Lester,Ms.,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,Dr.,3029997996,smajumdar@compactmembrane.com,"In the electrical power, steel production, and aluminum production industries, flame retardant, phosphate-ester hydraulic fluids are used to minimize fires. Although these fluids accomplish the fire-minimization task, they are unstable, which causes performance to suffer with attendant losses in productivity. This project will develop novel, chemically-resistant high-flux membranes that can remove the chemical reactants that make these hydraulic fluids unstable. The resultant process will be performed on-line, thereby minimizing degradation and enhancing productivity. Phase I will first design and fabricate custom membrane systems. Candidates will be screened for feasibility; then, enhanced performance and stability will be demonstrated, using a commercial flare-retardant phosphate ester. This step will be followed by long-term testing and economic analysis. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The underlying technology concerns the removal of small undesirable molecules (e.g. oxygen, water) from organic liquids. Although the current application focuses on stabilizing flame retardant, phosphate-ester hydraulic fluids for power plants, steel plants and aluminum plants, many other petrochemical streams (e.g., oxygen removal from monomers, removal of gases from transformer oil) would be candidate applications for the technology."
Enhanced Distillation via Membranes for Elimination of Trapped Water,DE-FG02-06ER84530,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2006,1,99997.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Ms.,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Kenneth J. Pennisi,Mr.,3029997996,kpennisi@compactmembrane.com,"Distillation is a major chemical unit operation and consumer of significant energy. Often, water or another intermediate boiling component can become trapped within the distillation column and accumulate. This causes various operating difficulties such as flooding, slugging, cycling, instability, and an off-spec product. This project will develop a chemically resistant, non-porous water-venting membrane to improve distillation operating efficiency in systems that are prone to water trapping. In Phase I, the membrane system will be built and demonstrated in pilot operations on a typical water trapping system (e.g. water-propane-butane). Basic laboratory data will be combined with membrane-distillation design studies to demonstrate that the water can be economically vented with minimal loss of organic (e.g. propane). Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new membrane system should enhance the distillation process in many situations where distillation trapping is a major problem. Also, the membrane technology should have additional value in many other distillation applications where the removal of water is difficult (e.g. azeotropes)."
Novel Platform for Enhanced Membrane Reactors for Homogeneous Catalysis,DE-FG02-06ER84529,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2006,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Lester,Ms.,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Catalysis plays a substantial role in the synthesis of the most U.S. commodity chemicals, with huge implications for energy usage. Membrane reactors have been proposed for a number of these syntheses. However, to be competitive with conventional technologies, membrane reactors must demonstrate better selectivity, permeability, and/or stability. This project will develop a novel platform with key features for broad membrane reactor utilization. These features will offer significant advantages compared to existing membranes (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol) and other unit operations (e.g., molecular sieve dryers). In Phase I, the membrane reactor will be fabricated. A representative homogeneous catalysis system will be selected to demonstrate that the reactor can provide an enhanced reaction rate with minimum energy consumption. Finally, an economic analysis will be conducted. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new membrane reactors should be applicable to a broad platform of chemical reactions, which produce well over 5 billion pounds of product annually, with a potential energy savings of over 50 trillion BTU/yr."
Drying Pipeline Fuel Grade Ethanol,DE-FG02-06ER84528,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2006,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Ms.,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"The use of ethanol as a fuel would impact U.S. reliance on foreign oil. However, among the economic obstacles to it widespread use are the costs of shipping fuel-grade ethanol by truck. Shipping ethanol by pipeline would be significantly less expensive, but, unfortunately, pipeline ethanol is hydroscopic, which causes too much water to be present in the fuel. This project will develop a simple, end-of-pipeline membrane system that can easily remove excess water from ethanol. Phase I will fabricate novel, hollow fiber membranes, and then design and fabricate laboratory membrane module systems, consistent with the needs of in-line simple drying of pipeline ethanol. These membrane modules then will be used to demonstrate the drying of ethanol under representative pipeline conditions. Finally, long-term tests will be conducted, and an economic analysis will be performed. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Fuel grade ethanol from biomass is critical for the United States to develop appropriate levels of energy independence. This technology should enhance the use of fuel grade ethanol by significantly lowering the cost of delivery."
Novel Microbial Hydrogen Production from Biomass Containing Waste Water,DE-FG02-06ER84418,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2006,1,99984.00,"Ion Power, Inc.",720 Governor Lea Road,,New Castle,DE,19720,No,No,No,Stephen Grot,Dr.,3028329550,s.grot@ion-power.com,Stephen Grot,Dr.,3028329550,s.grot@ion-power.com,"The treatment of waste water consumes a significant amount of energy, in order to reduce the organic matter to levels safe for environmental discharge. This project will develop a novel microbial-based approach to convert the organic matter in waste water into a valuable commodity, namely hydrogen. This approach would simultaneously clean the waste water and produce a fuel that can be sold to help recover the costs of treatment. Phase I will demonstrate the process on the lab bench scale, measure performance at different operating parameters, optimize the geometrical configuration, and reduce the scale of the laboratory demonstration by a factor of five (to a one cubic foot reactor). Finally, the data collected will be used to estimate the capital and operating costs of a full-scale plant. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by the Applicant: A novel process that can generate hydrogen from waste-water streams and other biomass sources can significantly reduce our nation's dependence on foreign energy sources. Small, off-grid alternative-energy applications where wastewater treatment is needed could benefit from this technology."
"Durable, High Performance Personnel Armor Plates for Current and Next Generation Threats",W911QY-06-C-0041,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2006,2,729018.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael K. Aghajanian,"VP, Product Development",3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Michael K. Aghajanian,"VP, Product Development",3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,"A Phase I program was completed in which a non-ceramic SAPI solution was developed. The system contained a hard-faced metal matrix composite (MMC) tile in place of the brittle ceramic tile. Ballistic testing showed positive results and drop testing showed excellent durability. The Phase II program aims to continue the work, leading to an optimized, durable SAPI system. However, since the time of the Phase I program, additional more aggressive threats were added to the SAPI specification. It is not known if an MMC solution will be sufficient for such threats. Thus, two paths are proposed for the Phase II activities. The first path will focus on the MMC tile approach, and the second path will focus on improved, high toughness reaction bonded ceramic tiles. With two paths, the chances for a successful solution are high. For both material systems being pursued, the goal is the same, namely to achieve a highly durable SAPI system that defeats the threats of interest at design weight. The strengths of the team members are being utilized, such as M Cubed's expertise in developing and manufacturing advanced materials; Rutgers' skills in detailed materials characterization; and Simula's expertise in armor fabrication and testing."
High toughness SiC and B4C,HQ0006-06-C-7443,DOD,MDA,SBIR,2006,1,99992.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael Aghajanian,VP Product Development,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Prashant G. Karandikar,Director of R&D,3024548600,karandikar@mmmt.com,"Reaction bonded (RB) SiC and B4C offer high specific stiffness (modulus/density) comparable to beryllium (Be) and higher thermal stability (thermal conductivity/CTE) than Be. However, these materials have low fracture toughness (4 MPa m1/2 compared to 8-10 for Be) and hence have not been considered viable Be-replacement materials for the MDA systems such as the EKV, ABL, etc. M Cubed has demonstrated innovative approach to increase the fracture toughness of RB SiC by 50% to 6 MPa m1/2. In this Phase I, M Cubed will use this innovative approach to further increase the toughness of SiC and B4C through microstructural tailoring to make them competitive with beryllium. In addition, a current production component on the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle (EKV) platform will be fabricated as a demonstration component in the Phase I. In the follow-on Phase II program, the manufacturing technology will be further refined and scaled up. Multiple replicas of the EKV component will be fabricated and characterized to fully develop this component."
Rapid Susceptibility Testing of MDR M. tuberculosis- Phase II,2R44AI060134-02,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2006,2,765957.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,Charles Carter,,3027374297,charleyc@midi-inc.com,Myron Sasser,,3027374297,sasser@midi-inc.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of this project is the development of a system based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for rapid and accurate antibiotic susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Susceptible and resistant strains of MTB, exposed to anti-MTB antibiotics, exhibit pronounced differences in mycolic acid content. Initial research will focus on adapting the HPLC-based susceptibility testing to current commercially available growth/susceptibility systems. The MIDI Sherlock(r) Mycobacteria Identification System is an HPLC-based system that has FDA 510(k) clearance for identification of MTB. The MIDI Sherlock software will be modified to allow for automated calculation of ratios of mycolic acid content of MTB strains from ""control"" or from antibiotic-containing media. Although isoniazid causes 35-40% loss of mycolic acids, in susceptible strains, with as little as 20 minutes exposure to the inhibitor, rifampin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide may require up to 72 h for optimal determination. This is in contrast to the typical 6-9 days required for other automated susceptibility test systems. As the highly specific pattern of mycolic acids of MTB is seen in the analysis, contamination by non-mycobacterial species do not cause false resistance evaluations, thus solving a serious problem in other automated systems. A ""mixed culture"" algorithm will be evaluated for effectiveness in identifying contamination by non-TB mycobacteria. Initial research will use commercially available media and anti-MTB antibiotics to determine resistance or susceptibility by mycolic acid content analysis. This will facilitate adoption of the mycolic acid test by laboratories having the growth-based systems. Although not crucial to the success of the project, direct-from-sputum analysis for MTB identification and susceptibility testing will also be evaluated."
AIMS: Agent-based Information Management System,FA8750-06-C-0052,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2006,2,748811.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Frank Abbott,CFO,3028948045,fta@quantumleap.us,Srikanth Kallurkar,Sr. Software Scientist,3028948029,svk@quantumleap.us,"Information Management is an important component in the development of viable information sharing systems, such as JBI, where shared information may be manipulated to derive further information. The qualities of such derived information depend on qualities of the contributing information and of their sources. Determining information quality requires propagation of qualitative and pedigree data about such manipulations through successive generations of information. Such data enables application-dependent decision making and attributing confidence to those decisions. However, the cost of propagating such data increases as the volume of information increases through generations. In general, users of an information sharing system are satisfied with approximate and rapid assessments of qualities along with a brief derivation history of the information. However, not all assessments need to be performed in a time-critical environment and not all approximate and rapid assessments can satisfy every quality need. In this project, we are developing an Agent-based Information Management System (AIMS) that enables rapidly establishing approximate qualities and related provenance within satisfactory limits to save computation time and storage costs. Complementary mechanisms support establishing complete, more accurate qualities of information. Quantum Leap's Virtual Information Chromosome enables propagation of the most representative provenance across generations for rapid quality assessment."
"High Bulk-Density, Large Capacity Activated Carbons for Small-Scale Natural Gas Storage",DE-FG02-05ER84211,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2006,2,726845.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,X. D. Wu,Dr.,3023696166,daniel.wu@cmtec-inc.com,X. d D. Wu,Dr.,3023696166,daniel.wu@cmtec-inc.com,"Natural gas provides a clean and environmentally friendly fuel for electric power generation; however, the distribution network, and especially the storage system, is ill-suited for the projected gowth of natural gas for use in electical energy generation. This project will develop a natural gas (methane) storage system based on an innovative, high-bulk-density activated carbon that is especially designed with high adsorption capacity for methane. This adsorptive storage system would be well suited for small-scale residential and commercial users who currently use diesel generators as their backup, and for small- to mid-size electrical power generators that require some natural gas storage to meet peak electrical demands. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of using a high bulk density activated carbon, synthesized with an appropriate distribution of micropores, to adsorb natural gas (methane) at ambient temperature and relatively low pressures. It was shown that a system based on this technology can store methane at a weight and volume that is comparable to a high-pressure cylinder, but at a fraction of the pressure. Phase II will continue the development of methane storage materials, develop primary material packaging, fabricate a prototype adsorbed-natural-gas storage system, and perform a pilot test of the prototype device Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The carbon-based natural gas storage system should allow residential, commercial, or small-scale power generators to store natural gas easily, without resorting to high-pressure designs. The storage system could be filled (or refilled) from a pipeline supplied by a single-stage compressor. Unlike liquefied natural gas storage systems, there would be no evaporative losses, and unlike liquefied natural gas and methane hydrate storage systems, the adsorptive storage does not require refrigeration, so there is no energy cost for storing the fuel. A highly-distributed natural gas storage network would improve the security and reliability of the natural gas supply. Finally, the room temperature and low-pressure system would provide inherent safety advantages"
RF Polymer,FA9550-06-C-0046,DOD,USAF,STTR,2006,1,99999.00,"Spectrum Magnetics, LLC",318 Mourning Dove Dr.,,Newark,DE,19711-4120,Yes,No,No,Jianrong Lin,Owner,3023799808,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,Guixiang Yang,Research Scientist,3023799822,spectrum_magnetics@comcast.net,"Leveraging Spectrum Magnetics' expertise in large scale fabrication of nanomaterials together with University of Delaware's know-how in the research of magnetodielectric materials with simultaneously large permittivity and permeability, we propose to design and fabricate RF polymers that promise applications in antenna with much improved functionalities in miniaturization, impendence matching, and bandwidth. Other various applications also exist such as microwave devices, filters, and DC/DC converters which have sizable market shares. Our preliminary analysis confirmed our design concept that magnetic materials with high permeability above 1 GHz must first be developed. Guide by the physics behind high frequency materials, we choose and modify materials to achieve high magnetization, high resistivity, and low demagnetization factor. These materials will be subsequently embedded in suitable polymers to achieve RF polymers with desirable properties. Our approach will provide a commercial manufacturing technology for making RF polymers. In Phase I, we will demonstrate as obtained RF polymers with permittivity and permeability larger than 5 above 1 GHz frequency."
Controlled Surface Porosity Particles for Ultra-fast Life Science Separations,1R43GM077688-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2006,1,99500.00,"ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY, INC.","3521 SILVERSIDE ROAD, SUITE 1-K, QUILLEN BLDG",,WILMINGTON,DE,19810-,No,No,No,John Larmann,,3024772513,jlarmann@advanced-materials-tech.com,Joseph J. Kirkland,,3024772513,JKIRKLAND@ADVANCED-MATERIALS-TECH.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to develop unique column packings for high-performance liquid chromatography. These new materials will allow the very fast separation and characterization of both small molecules of biological and pharmaceutical interest and very large biomolecular components that are not well handled by current technology. Previous studies by the PI have shown that superficially-porous silica microspheres (solid core and porous shell) permit very fast separations of macromolecules. Such particle structures are capable of very fast separations because of excellent mass transfer (kinetic) properties, combined with good sample loading characteristics. However, the original spray-drying preparation method used to prepare these particles resulted in uneven porous shells and unwanted totally-porous particles and therefore was abandoned. Preliminary experiments now indicate that with a new, different approach, silica cores can be coated with a polymeric coacervate containing a highly purified silica sol. Polymer elimination with subsequent processing produces ultra-pure, low acidity controlled surface porosity (""CSP"") particles with a range of narrow pore sizes. Columns with CSP particle-based packings would be effective in reversed- phase and ion-exchange separations for monitoring large-scale purifications,, as rapid diagnostic tests, drug assays, characterizing fermentation broths, separating DNA fragments and many other life science applications requiring very fast, reliable, high-resolution measurements. The products of this proposal also are highly suited for use in HPLC-MS applications. The new products of this proposal will provide for superior methods to characterize a wide range of biologicals, including drugs, and enhance capabilities to study systems of current interest that involve biomacromolecular materials. For example, these products will be useful in genetic and proteomic studies, especially when multidimensional (""2-D"") separations are required."
Heated Thermoplastic Fiber Placement Head for NASA Langley Research Center,NNL05AA05C,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2005,2,600000.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark Gruber,Business Official,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,Mark Gruber,Principal Investigator,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,"Reduced-mass polymer composite materials are crucial to the success of aerospace systems for reducing vehicle weight. But, composite material adoption is inhibited because the autoclave consolidation required is prohibitively expensive for the large tanks and skins contemplated in the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program. To remedy this, NASA-LaRC has been developing cost-effective, lightweight, high-performance thermoplastic composite materials for years. These materials have the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of large aerospace structures, because they allow processing without resorting to hugely expensive autoclaves. Unfortunately, NASA lacks a robust, cost-effective fabrication process to tape-place these emerging materials into laminates and to build contoured structure, and thus can't evaluate usefulness of NASA materials.This SBIR II program fabricates for NASA-LaRC the automated deposition head successfully designed in the recent SBIR I to complete the tape placement process and in situ consolidation without an autoclave. The composite deposition head, creel, and associated machine and process control system Accudyne will build in Phase II is designed to operate on NASA-LaRC's tape layer. Automated deposition heads can later be sold to industrial companies for existing tape layers and placement machines so that industry can benefit from NASA composite materials by using out-of-the-autoclave thermoplastic tape placement."
Optimal Composite Materials using NASA Resins or POSS Nanoparticle Modifications for Low Cost Fabrication of Large Composite Aerospace Structures,NNL05AA89P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2005,1,68204.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark Gruber,Business Official,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,Mark Gruber,Principal Investigator,3023695390,mgruber@accudyne.com,"Reduced mass composite materials are crucial to the success of aerospace systems, but their adoption is inhibited because they require autoclave consolidation, a process that is prohibitively expensive for large aerospace structure. To remedy this, NASA-LaRC has been developing cost-effective high-performance thermoplastic composite processing equipment that enables out-of-autoclave tape placement. In particular, NASA is working with Accudyne Systems to install a heated in situ deposition placement head to fit on NASA-LaRC's placement machine. This SBIR is to create the optimal composite material feedstock to go hand-in-hand with the thermoplastic process equipment so as to create desirable mechanical and physical properties in a part with out-of-autoclave in-situ placement. Accudyne Systems will define the matrix resin and fabricate thermoplastic tape to create the ideal in situ processible material. The first approach will be to proveout a fully amorphous composite based upon NASA 8515. This avoids the undesirable kinetics of a semi-crystalline thermoplastic like PEEK. The second approach will be to use POSS nanoparticles in semi-crystalline PEEK to accelerate crystallinity to the short time scale of the in situ process.The best options will be commercialized to allow NASA and aerospace primes to fabricate low-cost large composite structure for air and space transport."
Mulitple Bio-Agent Detection with Low-cost Nanomaterial-based Devices,W911SR-05-C-0049,DOD,ARMY,STTR,2005,2,749864.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Thomas Bodnar,VP of Business Operations,3022831730,tom@anptinc.com,Robert G. Daniel,VP of Research & Technology,3022831730,robert@anptinc.com,"We propose to continue the development of rapid, handheld multiplexed assays for the detection of biological warfare agents and an associated handheld automatic reader. We will rigorously evaluate the 5-target assay developed in Phase I, and develop an 8-target multiplex during this Phase II project. The handheld automatic reader will undergo further modification and improvements to provide for the 8 target multiplexed assay."
Novel Protein Nanodelivery Systems for Biological Agent Countermeasures,W81XWH-05-C-0039,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2005,1,119960.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Tom Bodnar,VP Business Operations,3022831730,tom@anptinc.com,Ray Yin,President and CTO,3022831730,ray@anptinc.com,"We propose to develop a universal strategy to encapsulate protein-based therapeutics using our patented non-toxic, non-immunogenic, water soluble, nanometer size capsules. These nanocapsules have a functionalized surface rendering them ""unseen"" by the normal immunogenic scavenging response of the body. In addition, the nanoencapsulated proteins not only exhibit superior shelf stability, but are also capable of withstanding various (harsh) formulation conditions without loss of protein activity."
High-Throughput Brain Injury Proteomic Microassay,W81XWH-05-C-0162,DOD,OSD,STTR,2005,1,99959.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Thomas Bodnar,VP of Business Operations,3022831730,tom@anptinc.com,Ryen Hydutsky,Senior Research Associate,3022831730,ryen@anptinc.com,"We propose to develop a multiplexed immunoassay for the detection of 2 - 4 medically relevant biomarkers of traumatic brain injury for use by front-line medical personnel and their civilian equivalents. The assay will provide results in less than 30 minutes, and provide information as to the actual level (concentration) of the biomarkers in the patient. The sample size for operating the assay is approximately 100 uL. The assay will incorporate ANP Technologies' patented and proprietary technologies that utilize specially designed polymeric scaffolds to increase the assay sensitivity and virtually eliminate false positive results from non-specific binding events."
Compact System for Removal of Dental Office Mercury,2R44DE013280-02A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2005,2,756356.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,John Bowser,,3029997996,JOHN.BOWSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,3029997996,john.bowser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): By instituting a number of precautions (e.g. personal monitoring, enhanced ventilation) dentists have been able to reduce the risk of mercury escaping into the environment. While these precautions are significant there are still numerous instances of mercury emissions above approved regulations. These Hg emissions compromise health of dental personnel. In Phase I Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) demonstrated the feasibility of a small, safe, low cost system that can be placed within the dental office or within the air duct system to actively remove elemental mercury and convert it to mercury sulfide (HgS). (Removal of metallic mercury is actually more difficult than ionic mercury). CMS has identified low cost commercial routes to collect the HgS and by sending in bulk to Hg retorters the Hg can be recovered. The overall business model provides an annual service to the dentist for less than $500 and minimizes the dentist's exposure or liability. Phase I demonstrated that the CMS system could both easily remove the spiked levels of mercury that was in the air and that this could be done when using the proper system with minimal concern for system fouling. By using proper chemical systems we were able to successfully remove elemental Hg under poor mixing conditions with no fouling seen over a 14-day test period. This strongly suggests that in Phase II using enhanced/optimized liquid side mixing that long term fouling should not be an issue. Phase II will optimize/enhance the core technology and build prototype for field demonstration. Numerous local dental offices have committed to participate in field evaluation and leaders in the dental mercury emissions field at a national university have agreed to participate in both field testing and program activity. System optimization will include enhancing long term stability, minimizing fouling potential, basic data for low cost service while maintaining high mercury vapor removal capability. Systems will be designed for upwards of 30 grams of mercury removal per year. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has established strong industrial partnerships. These partnerships will enhance CMS's capability to successfully complete the Phase II and subsequent commercialization."
Hybrid Membrane Distillation Process for Enhanced Integrated Ethanol Production,DE-FG02-05ER84224,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2005,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart M. Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,Dr.,3029997996,sudip.majumdar@compactmembrane.com,"78204SThe conversion of corn and other biomass to fuel grade ethanol not only would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources but also would be a major industrial application for agricultural products. However, the process of drying the ethanol from a 95% ethanol-5% water mixture (the azeotrope) to fuel grade ethanol consumes significant amounts of energy, incurring costs that continue to increase as cost of natural gas increases. This project will develop technology for introducing a hybrid membrane distillation process that will significantly reduce both the energy and capital requirements for drying. Preliminary laboratory data and economic evaluation suggest that the process will provide significant improvements over commercial technology that is now in place. Phase I will fabricate devices and demonstrate the membrane process. Using this basic data, key economic optimization data will be developed to demonstrate that the hybrid membrane distillation process dramatically reduces energy and overall costs for drying ethanol. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The intial target market for this technology is the growing 13 billion gallon/year ethanol business. The technology also should be applicable to many other energy intensive separation processes."
Novel Platform for Hybrid Distillation of Inorganic Acids,DE-FG02-05ER84316,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2005,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart M. Nemser,Dr.,,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.,Stuart M. Nemser,Dr.,,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.,"78749S Distillation is a very valuable chemical engineering unit operation, but it is both energy and capital intensive. This is especially true when components either form azeotropes or have small relative volatility differences. A hybrid, robust membrane process could eliminate azeotropes and process pinch points. Therefore, this project will develop chemically and thermally stable high flux membranes for use in a hybrid process, which will have application to many distillation problems. Phase I will evaluate HNO3 drying, which is a difficult distillation process as well as a DOE target system. The membrane's ability to complete the difficult distillation separation in an energy and cost effective manner will be demonstrated, as well as the capability for producing the membranes in a cost-effective manner. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Distillation is the largest and most capital and energy intensive unit operation in the chemical industry. The new membranes should be able to reduce energy and capital costs associated with azeotropic distillation and other difficult distillation separations."
Hybrid Anti-Fouling Membrane System for Natural Gas Separation,DE-FG02-05ER84225,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2005,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart M. Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.com,Donald J. Stookey,Dr.,3029997996,don.stookey@compactmembrane.com,"78243S Substantial amounts of natural gas reserves contain large amounts of non-methane gases, such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide, which make them uneconomical to market. While commercially available membranes offer the potential to remove these gases and produce pipeline grade natural gas, these membranes have limited separation capability or have failed due to unanticipated poisoning by heavier hydrocarbons or water vapor. This project will develop robust separation membranes that will enhance the economics of natural gas upgrading and provide a system that presents separation, flow, reliability, and retrofit benefits while resolving the issues associated with membrane fouling. Phase I will develop and evaluate natural gas upgrading in a pilot operation. Preparation of high-selectivity and robust membranes will be followed by a demonstration of enhanced performance. Both severe and representative conditions will be evaluated. An engineering analysis of the membrane system will be conducted, and the ability to achieve target goals (20% cost savings in natural gas processing operations and three fold improvement in reliability) will be assessed. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The high-selectivity and robust membranes should economically enhance the 30% of natural gas wells in the United States that are in need of upgrading to remove impurities. This represents 62 quads of energy. Additionally, this technology should have application to enhanced carbon monoxide and methane separation in oil recovery operations."
Enhanced Cool Processing of Value Added Beverages,2005-33610-15493,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2005,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,John J. Bowser,President,3029997996,john.bowser@compactmembrane.com,John J. Bowser,President,3029997996,john.bowser@compactmembrane.com,"Osmotic distillation is an excellent method for highly concentrating thermally sensitive liquids at low temperatures. However, commercial success of this process has been limited due to lack of membrane stability during the processing of economically interesting liquids. We believe that our high flux, non-porous perfluoromembrane is an ideal candidate for OD in that it has high flux rates and will maintain stability by avoiding wet out and membrane fouling. We will use coffee to demonstrate the feasibility of a process that combines cold extraction with osmotic distillation to produce a coffee concentrate that has never seen high temperatures. We expect these cool concentrates to be superior in taste and convenience to conventionally brewed coffee. In so doing, we will introduce to the industry a novel food processing technique that enhances the value of beverage based food products."
Novel Clean-Up for Mercury Medical Waste,1R43ES012789-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2005,1,102293.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,STUART.NEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Donald J. Stookey,,3029997996,DONALD.STOOKEY@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The EPA continues to restrict air emissions including mercury emissions. While coal based power plants are the major sources of mercury emissions, smaller incinerators including medical incinerators are under EPA regulations. These EPA requirements can be a significant problem for medical facilities/hospitals which operate relatively small incinerators. At risk are excess Hg emissions can actually lead to shutting down the medical/hospital operation. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) proposes a novel technical and business solution to these Hg emissions. Using novel separation technology, CMS proposes to concentrate and collect the mercury emissions in a safe form for disposal. In the CMS process, mercury will first be collected and stored. This safely stored mercury will be safely disposed of and the systems mercury removal capability will be restored. This technology conveniently lends itself to being monitored and managed by off-site central locations. In Phase I we will demonstrate the feasibility and economics of the key components to the process including the ability to manage system fouling. CMS has strong working relationships with a number of major membrane and industrial gas companies. These relationships will enhance our ability in this NIH-SBIR and most importantly in the commercialization phase after the SBIR."
Novel Blood Oxygenator Homogeneous Membranes,1R43HL080822-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2005,1,131731.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-lester,,3029997996,NADINE.LESTER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Laura Carmichael,,3029997996,LAURA.CARMICHAEL@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):
Long-term blood oxygenators (BO) therapy requires non-porous membranes to limit BO wet out. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has identified (1) novel materials that can minimize wet out (while simultaneously maintaining needed gas-liquid transport of gases) and (2) a novel fabrication technique to make these materials into BO.
In this Phase I program, CMS will combine these novel materials with novel fabrication technique to show the feasibility of an enhanced BO. We will analyze the system compared to existing BO controls for overall oxygen mass transfer and long-term stability.
In-vitro testing will provide key performance and biocompatibility data. Parallel in-vivo studies (successfully completed in other programs) will provide key additional information on system capabilities. While CMS is confident that the novel fabrication technique can be applied to the novel materials, we have also identified parallel fabrication routes if the original process does not work."
Novel Long-Term CO2 Removal System,NNJ05JB76C,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2005,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Business Official,3029997996,nadine.lester@compactmembrane.com,Kenneth J. Pennisi,,3029997996,ken.pennisi@compactmembrane.com,"Current Technology for CO2 removal from enclosed air of spacecraft utilizes LiOH canisters for CO2 absorption. This absorption is irreversible so longer flights require more LiOH. For long duration flights it is essential that a small, lightweight system that recovers the CO2 be developed. This allows the CO2 to be used to regenerate O2 for re-use.Compact Membrane systems (CMS) has identified a novel membrane contactor process for absorption and subsequent desorption of the CO2. Key to the process is that the contactor both operate effectively and that loss of the absorption/desorption fluid be kept to a minimum.In Phase I, CMS will build system and demonstrate systems capability with a focus on key desorption unit operation. Analysis will demonstrate ability to transport CO2 while maintaining minimal loss of absorbent. System stability will be demonstrated by evaluating performance over wide temperature range (30-90o C). Chemical stability with absorbants will also be demonstrated. With all the above basic data in hand, we will evaluate the needed system size, weight and power consumption. Lastly we will compare results to molecular sieve adsorbants which are the incumbent for long duration flights."
Novel Pharmaceutical Solvent - Water Separation System,1R43GM071093-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2005,1,135550.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart M. Nemser,,3029997996,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There are numerous needs in the pharmaceutical industry to recover high purity solvents. In many cases these solvents are contaminated with water. While the simplest and lowest cost method of separation is distillation, unfortunately in many cases these solvents form difficult to separate azeotropes with water. Examples include ethanol-water, IPA-water, acetone-water and THF-water. While entrainers can help break azeotropes, they are undesirable additives for solvents used in high purity pharmaceutical applications. Therefore there continues to be an ongoing need for identifying simple low cost systems which can separate many pharmaceutical solvents from water. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has identified novel membrane routes using novel membrane materials which may provide a unique platform for low cost separation of these organic solvent-water systems. In Phase I CMS will demonstrate the feasibility of this low cost separation first on pharmaceutical solvent-water systems and then working with a small pharmaceutical services company to demonstrate on actual Pharmaceuticals. Objectives are to show CMS process has broad utility and costs at least 20% lower than existing processes. CMS has strong industrial membrane partners. These partners will be valuable in both Phase I and subsequent commercial activity. We will use these relationships and existing commercial products we have collectively developed (with these industrial partners) for our initial testing. Having access to these commercial products will enhance our ability to be successful in Phase I and II as well as get products/systems commercially installed shortly after the completion of this program."
Enhanced Management of Ethylene Oxide Sterilizers,1R43OH008497-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2005,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,,rtierney@compactmembrane.com,Sudipto Majumdar,,3029997996,SUDIP.MAJUMDAR@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The effectiveness of ethylene oxide (EtO) for destroying pathogens in the case of heat and moisture sensitive materials has led to its wide spread use in sterilization processes. Products that are often sterilized wi
th EtO include medical equipment, medical supplies and pharmaceutical produces. Hospitals using EtO sterilizers are of particular interest in this program. In 1983 OSHA reported that EtO was used in 7,700 sterilizers in 6,300 hospitals in the U.S. In consi
deration of the potential risk to public health posed by uncontrolled air emissions of EtO, the EPA placed EtO on its list of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) and established a regulation for EtO emissions from commercial sterilizers. Citing cost effectivene
ss issues for small emission sources, it specifically exempted hospitals from the rule, despite their statement that hospital sterilizers emit substantial percentage of EtO emissions. EPA can change its position at any time. Compact membrane Systems
(CMS) has identified a novel membrane system that provides a procedure to actually recover the EtO for reuse. The concept is that the value of the recovered EtO will either be greater than the cost of recovering or that the net cost for recovery is at leas
t 30% less than present abatement systems. In Phase I we will build a membrane system and demonstrate the capability of recovering the EtO. This will then be followed by performing a detailed economic evaluation which will validate the feasibility of doing
this economically. CMS has established strong business relationships with major membrane companies and industrial gas companies. These relationships will help in successfully completing this program and subsequent commercialization."
Smart Water Piping Corrosion and Scale Monitor,W9132T-05-C-0017,DOD,OSD,SBIR,2005,1,100000.00,"JONAS, INC.",1113 Faun Road,,Wilmington,DE,19803,No,No,No,Otakar Jonas,President,3024781375,jonasinc@steamcycle.com,Otakar Jonas,Principal Investigator,3024781375,jonasinc@steamcycle.com,"This proposal covers the development and prototype testing of a new Smart Water Piping Corrosion and Scale Monitor for use in the main types of water based utility systems including: potable, closed and open cooling water, condensate, feedwater, and, after the project completion, electric cable cooling. The Monitor will have three main components: a new multi-parameter Corrosion and Scale Sensor, WaterExpert expert system (completion in Phase II), and control of chemical addition equipment by the expert system. The anticipated characteristics of the monitor are: multiple sensor surface probe; in-line, real time, direct detection of corrosion, scale, and MIC, comparison of monitored data to known corrosion rates and potential-pH data (diagrams), direct corrosion rate measurement with sensitivity less than 0.01 mm/year, feedback to chemical addition equipment, covers a variety of water systems, water chemistries, and materials, recommends optimum water treatment, rugged design, easy to replace (optional - replacement during operation), learning from experience (smart), automatic reporting and data storage for up to ten years, and as an option, can be installed on a short bypass loop outside of the pipe."
SBIR Phase I: Assembly and Repair of Thermoplastic Reinforced Composites,0512869,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2005,1,90879.00,Kubota Research Associates,100 Hobson Drive,,Hockessin,DE,-,No,No,No,John W. Long,Dr,3026830199,long@ir-welding.com,John W. Long,Dr,3026830199,long@ir-welding.com,"This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a new method of radiation welding of high performance thermoplastic reinforced composites without degrading the core fiber material. Conventional methods of thermal welding of this type of composite cause degradation of the composite core fiber and lose of strength at the welding seam. Two innovative technologies are integrated to accomplish this proposal. The first is the development of a multi-layer thermoplastic reinforced composite structure to insulate the core fiber from heat exposure during welding. The second technology is construction of a welding unit that projects selective near infrared radiation throughout the tertiary structure of the composite interface to weld the composites. The broader impacts of this technology could be the commercialization would be weldable composite technology and a welding that could significantly expand applications of thermoplastic reinforced composites (TRC) by providing a high speed assembly and joining process that can meet mass production requirements. TRC based parts that can reduce weight while maintaining strength, be more easily recycled and be assembled using high speed welding technology will create new product uses in military, commercial and industrial applications. New forms of thin sheet TRC are being integrated into the aerospace manufacturing, especially in construction of high altitude airships and balloons. Automobile manufacturers are seeking light-weight composites that are more easily recycled to reduce the weight requirements while maintaining strength in automobiles. Weldable TRC made with a thermoplastic core fiber can potentially meet these needs. Expanded use of TRC recycled parts will benefit the environment. Longer term, the welding process could provide a new competitive manufacturing technology that could drive job expansion and growth in the U.S. economy."
Rapid Susceptibility Testing of MDR M. tuberculosis,1R43AI060134-01A2,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2005,1,97000.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,3027374297,,Myron Sasser,,3027374297,sasser@midi-inc.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Phase I research will test the feasibility of using mycolic acid analysis as a very rapid test for drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The significance of TB is evident in that more than one-third of the world's population is infected by M. tuberculosis and multi-drug resistant TB is both a current serious health risk and potential bioterrorism weapon. Tuberculosis causes more death and suffering than any other infectious agent and is especially prevalent in HIV-infected populations. The current testing method for susceptibility of TB to treatment drugs averages nearly a week to obtain results and may be compromised by false results caused by bacterial contaminants. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of mycolic acids enables rapid, inexpensive identification of mycobacteria as profiles are characteristic of the various species. When exposed to treatment drugs such as isoniazid, susceptible TB strains diminish in mycolic acid content within 20 minutes, as compared to the untreated controls, and resistant strains do not show this loss but gain in mycolic acid amount with time. Susceptible and resistant strains will be inoculated into control and inhibitor-containing vials of a commercial test system. The assay will be performed by PLC analysis of mycolic acid content over timed intervals (up to 72 h.). Comparative quantities of mycolic acids indicate growth/no growth and the characteristic pattern of mycolics assure that contaminants are not responsible for the result. As an alternative approach, intermediates/precursors such as hexacosanoic acid (C26:0) will be assayed using a similar research protocol and quantitation by HPLC analysis. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The major product will be the software and hardware necessary to perform the HPLC testing method. Internal standards and the HPLC Calibration mixture for the assay will also be commercial products. Phase II of the project will entail validating the methodology for multiple strains and additional antibiotics. Optimization for performing analyses directly from signal positive bottles and application to direct from sputum will be explored."
AIMS: Agent-based Information Management System,FA8750-05-C-0200,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2005,1,86203.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Frank Abbott,CFO,3028948045,fta@quantumleap.us,Srikanth Kallurkar,Software Scientist,3028948029,svk@quantumleap.us,"The determination of information provenance in order to establish trust about sources of information and its subsequent quality is an important aspect of information management. The volume of digital information and the scale of its growth, both in terms of proliferation of sources as well as the size of digital information, presents a myriad of problems in their management. Validity and quality assessment of information allow the participants in information systems to associate confidence levels with the operations that utilize or are influenced by the information. The AIMS project will develop enabling technologies for managing and exploiting provenance to facilitate the information source trust and quality assessment of information in the Joint Battlespace Infosphere (JBI) at minimal cost as well as complete provenance at corresponding processing and time-related costs. We propose the novel concept of information chromosomes that associates approximate provenance in specific bits associated with the information. Provenance maintenance and look-up services are provided by corresponding agents in a network-centric architecture. We will also develop evaluation metrics for in-depth analysis of effectiveness and efficiency of provenance obtained through the AIMS architecture."
MedNet/AMAs - Adaptive Medical Agents for Medical Diagnosis and Treatment,N00014-06-M-0035,DOD,OSD,SBIR,2005,1,99501.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Frank Abbott,"VP of Administration & Finance, CFO",3028948045,fta@quantumleap.us,Donald Steiner,Chief Technology Officer,3028948020,ahj@quantumleap.us,"Adaptive Medical Agents (AMAs, pronounced ""amaze"") provide robust, timely, decision support for emergency care providers in the field. These agents constantly monitor the physiological status of an at-risk population, anticipate requests for analyses and offer both probabilistic assessments and potential courses of treatment. Using a distributed, decentralized architecture, AMAs will exploit broadband communications where and when they are available, but will be capable of working autonomously, when conditions limit connections to outside resources. Development of the system architecture to support the AMA and to allow the maximum degree of flexibility, habitability, graceful degradation, and performance is the main challenge of Phase I of this proposal."
"High Bulk-Density, Large Capacity Activated Carbons for Small-Scale Natural Gas Storage",DE-FG02-05ER84211,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2005,1,98718.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,X. Daniel Wu,Dr.,3023696166,danwu@sorptiontechnologies.com,X. Daniel Wu,Dr.,3023696166,danwu@sorptiontechnologies.com,"79763S Natural gas provides a clean and environmentally friendly fuel for electric power generation; however, the distribution network, and especially the storage system, is ill-suited for projected gowth in natural gas used for electical energy generation. This project will develop a natural gas (methane) storage system based on an innovative high bulk-density activated carbon that is especially designed with high adsorption capacity for methane. This adsorptive storage system would be well suited for small-scale residential and commercial users who currently use diesel generators as their backup, and for new, small- to mid-size electrical power generators that require some natural gas storage to meet peak electrical demands. Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of using a high bulk density activated carbon, synthesized with an appropriate distribution of micropores, to adsorb methane at ambient temperature and relatively low pressures. It will be shown that a system based on this technology can store methane at comparable weight and volume as a high-pressure cylinder, but at a fraction of the pressure. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The carbon-based methane storage system should permit a residential, commercial or small-scale power generator to store natural gas easily, without resorting to high-pressure designs. The storage system could be filled (refilled) from the users pipeline supply by a single-stage compressor. Unlike LNG storage systems, there would be no evaporative losses, and unlike both LNG and methane hydrate storage systems, the adsorptive storage would not require refrigeration, so there would be no energy cost for storing the fuel. Adsorptive systems lend themselves well to highly distributed natural gas storage. The inherent safety advantages of the room temperature and low-pressure nature adsorbent-based system, coupled with the low volume and weight, should make this the preferred technology for transportation applications."
A Retrofit and Low-Cost Small Industrial Boiler Flue Gas Purification Technology,EP-D-05-039,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2005,1,69990.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,Sean Lu,President,3023696166,sorptionsti@aol.com,Xiaoqun Wu,Senior Scientist,3023696166,dw2sorptionsti@aol.com,"This SBIR Phase I program aimes to demonstrate the feassibility of an innovative multi-polutant removal technology for the flue gas purification of small industrial boilers. Compared to the conventional flue gas purification processes, the proposed technology is more suitable for the small industrial boiler applications, and displays several advantages, such as low installation and operation cost, as well as high removal efficiency. This noivel technology can simultaneously remove particuate matters smaller than 10 microns (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), hitrogen oxides (NOx) and mercury (Hg) from the flue gases of oil and coal-fired small industrial boilers. The technology uses ozone to oxidize NO into high oxides, and applies an innovative catalytic sorbent material to convert high nitrogen oxides and SO2 into nitric acid and sulfur acid simultaneously in the presence of oxygen and water vapor. In the process, mercury can be chemically fixed in the sorbent, and fine particles and surface-filtered by sorbent Unlike the conventional adsorption process, the proposed innovaton does not require any sorbent generation steps, which makes the system much simple and low-cost. During the program, by investigating the ozone oxidation and modifiying the catalytic sorbent material, testing material's PM10, SO2, NOx and HG removal perforance, and long-term run efficiency, the feasibility of the proposed technology will be demonstrated. If successful, the proposed technology can provide a retrofit and inexpensive PM10, SO2, NOx and HG removal system for small industrial boiler flue gas purification It also has the potential for large scale utility boiler applications"
Heated Thermoplastic Fiber Placement Head for NASA Langley Research Center,NNL04AB24P,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2004,1,69714.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Mark B. Gruber,Senior Partner,3023695390,mgruber@accudynesys.com,Mark Gruber,Principal Investigator,3023695390,mgruber@accudynesys.com,"Reduced mass composite materials are crucial to the success of aerospace systems, but are inhibited by expensive autoclave consolidation, especially for large parts. To remedy this, NASA-LaRC has been developing cost-effective high-performance thermoplastic composite materials for years. NASA materials could dramatically reduce the cost of large aerospace structures, because those materials avoid the autoclave. However, NASA lacks a robust, cost-effective fabrication process to tow-place these emerging materials into laminates, and thus can?t evaluate their usefulness to industry. This program develops for NASA-LaRC the processing equipment that allows material evaluation and allows out-of-autoclave fiber placement. In particular, this program will deliver a heated in situ deposition head to fit on NASA-LaRCs placement machine. Heads can also be sold to industrial companies for existing placement machines so that aerospace composites can be fabricated out of the autoclave. In phase I, the deposition head will be designed and reviewed with NASA. The process window requirements for the placement head for NASA materials will be verified. In phase II, we will complete the design, fabricate, install, and prove-out the head equipment. We then start up the deposition head at NASA so that the emerging NASA-LaRC materials can be proven in laminates."
Multiple Bio-Agent Detection with Low-cost Nanomaterial-based Devices,W911SR-04-P-0082,DOD,ARMY,STTR,2004,1,99934.00,"ANP TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",824 Interchange Boulevard,,Newark,DE,19711 9711,No,No,No,Tom Bodnar,VP of Business Operations,3022831730,tom@anptinc.com,Robert Daniel,VP of Research & Technology,3022831730,robert@anptinc.com,"This goal is to construct a low-cost, polymeric, nanomaterial-based assay for the detection of multiple biological agents in a single device using our nanomanipulation technology to meet or exceed the sensitivity of the current two-line assays used in DoD applications. The nanodevice will exhibit no background streaking, cross bleeding, or other flow problems often associated with laminar flow devices. We expect to demonstate a multiplex device capable of detecting between 5 and 8 biothreat agents."
Enhanced Long-Term Care of Severe Respiratory Failure,2R44HL064528-02,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2004,2,1010459.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-lester,,3029997996,NLESTER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart M. Nemser,,3029997996,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is suboptimal. Arteriovenous carbon dioxide removal (AVCO2R) combined with mild oxygen ventilation has shown promise. AVCO2R is mild pumpless technique using low-pressure drop membrane oxygenators, which reduces labor, cost, complexity and patient stress. While AVCO2R works for short durations, ARDS therapy must operate continuously for weeks.
Phase I successfully demonstrated CMS non-porous membranes significantly enhance AVCO2R membrane long term wet-out resistance while maintaining carbon dioxide removal membrane modules fluid dynamics.
Working closely with University of Texas (UT) we completed short-term in-vivo testing on 10 sheep using UT sheep model. In-vivo results showed CMS AVCO2R system compared favorably to control. Long term in-vivo testing further supported CMS new membrane technology.
Phase II will build upon Phase I feasibility success and first optimize membrane module fabrication. Working with UT we will do extensive in-vitro testing and then perform numerous (40+) long-term sheep studies.
CMS has numerous industrial partners assisting in Phase II system fabrication and subsequent evaluation. These relationships will help Phase II plus identifying appropriate commercialization partners."
Improved Fruit Juice Concentration Process,2004-33610-14805,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2004,2,296000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart M. Nemser,President,3029997996,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.com,John J. Bowser,,3029997996,sudip.majumdar@compactmembrane.com,No simple/convenient process exists to concentrate wine without developing a burnt taste. This program develops the osmotic distillation process to concentrate wine at room temperature. Osmotic distillation enhances dewatering approximately 10-fold and in so doing makes the process economically attractive.
Enhanced Control of Fruit Ripening,2004-33610-14422,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2004,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants & Financial Manager,3029997996,nadine.lester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart M. Nemser,,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"Ethylene is a growth hormone for plants and therefore, removal of ethylene plays an important part in maintaining the freshness of plants, especially fruits and flowers. Ethylene is generated by the fruits themselves, and is therefore a self-ripening component. In shipping of fruits and vegetables there is a great deal of effort that goes into controlling the atmosphere around the fruits and vegetables (e.g. temperature, levels of oxygen and CO2). In controlling this atmosphere, significant investment goes into controlling these gases and temperatures, and therefore, high flow rates for removal of ethylene is an impractical solution to reduce ethylene concentration. Ethylene causes significant amounts of product loss in wholesale and retail food distribution. Much of the loss is reduced quality rather than actual product loss. As examples, commercial lemon storage benefits from ethylene control in terms of better fruit pack out. The US military has found that ethylene control improves the quality of mixed loads of fruits and vegetables shopped in marine containers. Considerable product is also lost in final destination refrigerators and walk-in coolers. A cost effective control strategy would be of great value. This program introduces a novel technique for selective and controlled destruction and removal of ethylene. In so doing, one can control the ethylene concentration (less than 0.1 ppm), which will lead to the ability for greater preservation and greater shipment and therefore, greater value, for fruits and vegetables."
Novel Fabrication of Long Term Blood Oxygenators,1R43HL071321-01A2,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2004,1,171375.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-lester,,3029997996,NADINE.LESTER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart M. Nemser,,3029997996,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):
Long-term blood oxygenator (BO) therapy requires non-porous coatings to limit BO wet out. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has identified novel materials that can minimize wet out while simultaneously maintaining needed gas-liquid transport of gases.
In order for these novel materials to be of significant commercial value they must be able to easily integrate into existing commercial BO operations. Present fabrication capabilities with these novel materials are significantly limited. In-situ introduction of non-porous coatings is presently unacceptable due to fiber-fiber bridging. Coating of individual fibers prior to module fabrication while having some potential has many downstream problems and is not easily integrated into existing BO manufacturing lines.
Discussions with experts in the field have identified a number of blood oxygenation applications that can take advantage of the novel product. These applications include ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome), ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenators) cardiac and respiratory patients and high risk cardiac surgical procedures.
CMS has identified novel procedure to easily integrate their novel material into existing BO fabrication systems. In Phase I CMS will demonstrate its novel procedure using CMS's high gas flux non-porous non-wetting membrane. Phase I will include in-vitro and in-vivo tests which show CMS process provides BO with needed wet out resistance while maintaining gas exchange into and out of blood and equally as important is easily integrated into commercial BO operations. Bio-compatibility testing will be completed in Phase I. Phase I quantitatively defines program objectives and alternative strategies if needed. In-vivo testing will demonstrate proof of feasibility consistent with Phase I funds, and enhance our ability for a targeted Phase II program. Pre-clinical testing and key partners will enhance our ability to rapidly move to clinical testing."
Novel Membrane Systems for Off-Road Diesel Engine NOx Reduction,EP-D-04-009,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2004,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Donald Stookey,Director of Industrial Technologoy,3029997996,donald.stookey@compactmembrane.com,"The Bush Administration recently proposed a 90 percent reduction of air pollution emissions from off-road diesel equipment. The Administration indicated that diesel emissions are responsible for large amounts of particulate and NOx emissions from off-road construction, farm, mining, and locomotive and marine engines. A primary approach used to reduce NOx emissions is exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). In EGR, the exhaust gas from the engine is recycled to the engine, thereby lowering the oxygen level and engine temperature, which reduces NOx emissions. With EGR, there are questions concerning wear implications of recirculated soot particles as well as problems associated with the need for heat exchangers to cool EGR systems.
These concerns related to EGR (wear and heat load for diesel engines), although significant for on-road engines, are even more severe for off-road engines. Off-road vehicles traditionally run at a higher power and lower ram-speed than on-road vehicles. Off-road vehicles also run at a high power for a disproportionately high percentage of time. This leads to very high exhaust gas temperature, and if EGR is used to reduce NOx emissions, there would be very high heat loads placed on the engine. Furthermore, the mechanism to cool exhaust gas involves flowing gas across a heat exchange surface that utilizes the ram-velocity of the engine to assist in cooling. This is more difficult with slow moving off-road vehicles. The net effect takes place in off-road vehicles; the conventional EGR treatment for reduced NOx emissions has major limitations.
The goal of this Phase I research project is to introduce a retrofittable membrane system to supply nitrogen-enriched air to diesel engines for reduced NOx emissions instead of EGR. This system would be driven by a turbocharger that feeds high-pressure air into engines. The high productivity of the membrane device will lead to a modest loss in engine power and reduce NOx emissions by 50 percent. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc.¿s (CMS) membranes are not negatively effected by the higher exhaust temperature associated with off-road vehicles because they use ambient air as feed. CMS membranes work best at peak load because turbo pressure is highest at peak load and CMS membranes work best at a high turbo pressure.
CMS has strong working relationships with major diesel companies and industrial gas companies. These relationships will be of significant value in Phases I and II, as well as in subsequent commercialization. In Phase I, CMS will demonstrate feasibility related to reductions in off-road diesel NOx emissions, while maintaining fuel efficiency and particulate emissions and industry cost requirements."
Low Cost Ozone Sanitization of Drinking Water,1R43ES012785-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2004,1,112180.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,STUART.NEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Donald J. Stookey,,3029997996,DONALD.STOOKEY@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a significant interest in displacing chlorine with ozone in a variety of water treatment processes. Some processes include wastewater treatment, purification of drinking water and bleaching operations. While chlorine is seen as a low cost disinfectant, there are many problems with chlorine including it is hazardous to use and ship, by-products of disinfection (e.g. trihalomethanes) are carcinogens and chlorine is not as strong an oxidant as ozone (Chlorine does not destroy viruses and 'cryptosporidium', but ozone does). CMS will introduce its novel ozone resistant membranes using a novel process to significantly reduce the cost of supplying ozone for oxidation processes. Program objectives are to reduce the system oxygen cost (which is a major component of ozone costs) by at least 20%. This program will focus on drinking water treatment. We believe the technology as proposed should have broad applicability including wastewater, drinking water, water for injection, and process water applications. In Phase I we will build both perfluoromembrane modules and an overall system for supplying low cost oxygen and low cost ozone. After the system is built we will demonstrate its performance on a number of contaminants (nitrobenzene, humic acid, and 'cryptosporidium'). We have established strong working relationships with a number of industrial organizations. These relationships should enhance our ability to successfully complete this program as well as subsequent commercialization."
Novel Platform for NOx Reduction from Furnaces,1R43ES012342-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2004,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Donald J. Stookey,,3029997996,DONALD.STOOKEY@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Oxides of nitrogen are well-known environmental pollutants. They have been the subjects of extensive regulations including the Clean Air Act. Nitrogen oxides are collectively referred to as NOx, which is the total amount of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Nitrogen dioxide is the more harmful of the two, associated with many forms of respiratory health effects. Upon inhalation, NO2 can inhibit lung function by increasing airway resistance at low concentration over short periods of time. It can also increase susceptibility to bacterial and viral pulmonary infections. Certain sub-populations are at high risk to NOx exposure, either because of susceptibility at lower concentrations or greater impact of effects. These groups include asthmatics, COPD, children, and the elderly. This program addresses NOx emissions from combustion processes at high temperatures, since at temperature nitrogen and oxygen generate NOx. Electrical power generation facilities are major NOx sources. Product concept (PC) uses existing burner technology plus nitrogen enriched air (NEA) to reduce NOx emissions. Modeling work projects 300-fold NOx emissions reductive using PC. Program focus will be on pilot demonstration of NOx reduction process. Coal fired plants require 86% NEA; gas burners require 83% NEA. Preliminary estimates suggest PC is less expensive than existing selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. Program has broad value for many commercial furnaces. Phase I will demonstrate process feasibility on small gas furnaces systems. Gas turbines are seen as major electrical power consumption growth area. Results will be compared to existing SCR NOx cleanup. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has established key industrial and national laboratory relationships. These relationships should help CMS in this SBIR plus subsequent commercialization."
Carbon Dioxide Capture from Large Point Sources,DE-FG02-04ER83925,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2004,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart M. Nemser,Dr.,3029997996,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.com,John Bowser,Mr.,3029997996,john.bowser@compactmembrane.com,"76045-The capture of carbon dioxide at the source of its emission has been a major focus in greenhouse gas emission control. Solutions must be both compact and economic, and also address the removal of other acid gases from natural gas streams. Current technologies used for capturing CO2 suffer from inefficient mass transfer and economics. This project will develop a stable, membrane-based, CO2 removal system from flue gas streams that originate from large point sources. The system will have improved mass transfer rates compared to conventional technologies. Phase I will demonstrate that the membrane-based absorption system can provide superior carbon dioxide removal from simulated power plant flue gas. The stability of the membrane system will be shown for various operating conditions and chemical environments. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology should have broad application for the removal of acid gases (such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide) and water vapor from various gas streams, such as those in natural gas production, power generation, etc."
Novel Nitrogen Enriched Air for Fire Suppression,1R43CE000183-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2004,1,117100.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,,rtierney@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current fire suppression systems employ either water, chemical agents, gaseous agents (such as Halon , carbon dioxide, and heptafluoropropane) or a combination thereof. Virtually all of them are ozone depleting, toxic
and environmentally unfriendly. This proposal employs a radically different approach. Specifically the use of high gas flux membranes to supply hypoxic breathable air for the prevention and suppression of fire. The high gas flow membranes provide compactn
ess associated with desired portability on fire trucks in addition to low cost. The targeted hypoxic environment of 14-16% oxygen eliminates ignition and combustion of flammable materials while still being completely safe for human breathing. The high gas
flow membranes convert air (21% oxygen) to hypoxic air (12-14% oxygen). By flooding the building with 12-14% oxygen one eliminates the concern for pockets of unbreathable air supply. Phase I will demonstrate the ability to rapidly and cost effectively supp
ly this 12-14% oxygen and it's ability to rapidly reduce the room air to 14-16% oxygen. Tests will include first starting controlled fires and then demonstrating the systems ability to suppress the fire while maintaining oxygen levels at 14-16%. During the
process, we will monitor for CO and other toxic gas formation. Parallel animal studies will validate the breath ability of the environment. We have strong relationships with major industrial membrane companies. These relationships enhance our ability to
successfully commercialize these systems if this SBIR is shown to be successful."
Compliance and Posture Monitor,1R41HD047078-01A1,HHS,HHS,STTR,2004,1,100000.00,"CREATIVE MICRO DESIGNS, INC.","CREATIVE MICRO DESIGNS, INC.",645B DAWSON DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,Ralph Page,,3024565800,RALPHPAGE@ATTGLOBAL.NET,Tariq Rahman,,3026516831,TRAHMAN@NEMOURS.ORG,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to build and test a compliance and posture sensor for attachment to an orthopedic brace or directly to the body. This sensor will measure and store information on adherence to brace treatment and inclination of a limb. The appropriate sensors to measure human proximity, as well as inclination, will be developed and packaged in a module small enough to be attached to a brace or worn directly by the person.
The ultimate goals are to develop a clinical tool that objectively and remotely measures compliance with prescribed brace treatment and to remotely measure what posture the person was in while being monitored and the level of activity they performed. This information would be valuable in assessing the outcome a brace treatment, surgery and other therapeutic interventions. Scoliosis bracing will be a major target for compliance measurement. It is hoped this small sensor will become a standard part of the scoliosis brace prescription that will not only measure compliance but increase it too.
The deliverables from the phase I study will be the construction and testing of a prototype sensor and logger combination. This will measure presence of the human in close proximity to the sensor and the inclination of the sensor. Two prototype units will be constructed. Tests of the units will be carried out on five subjects. Once technical feasibility has been demonstrated with human subjects a clinical trial will be undertaken in phase II of the grant."
"High Performance, Concealed, Ceramic-Based Armor Panels for Military and Commercial Vehicles",W56HZV-04-C-0023,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2004,2,729992.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael Aghajanian,VP Product Development,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Michael Aghajanian,VP Product Development,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,"In a current Phase I program, an extremely capable team is developing an innovative approach to the design and fabrication of ceramic-based armor panels for commercial vehicles. The concept consists of two key features, namely (1) the use of 1-piece, large contoured reaction bonded ceramic tiles and (2) backing the tiles with low cost ballistic polymer. The resultant panels match the shape of internal cavities within the vehicle, thus allowing ease of integration. The use of large curved tiles allows the cost of the system to be low (no building of mosaics with smaller tiles), and allows the armor system to function as part of the structure of the vehicle. The program includes many activities, such as design, ceramic fabrication, armor system fabrication, and ballistic testing. The strengths of the team members are being utilized, such as M Cubed's expertise in developing and manufacturing large, complex reaction bonded ceramic structures; and Simula's expertise in armor design, ballistic testing and armor system manufacturing. The proposed Phase II program will continue development of the novel concept, will manufacture and conduct ballistic testing on full-scale panels, and will produce and install an armor kit on a government furnished vehicle."
High toughness reaction bonded composites,FA9453-04-M-0255,DOD,MDA,SBIR,2004,1,99997.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Ted Olsen,COO,3024548600,t_olsen@mmmt.com,Prashant G. Karandikar,Director of R&D,3024548600,karandikar@mmmt.com,"M Cubed manufactures many commercial components out of reaction bonded SiC and B4C on a large scale. The key advantages of these materials are high specific stiffness (high modulus and low density) and high thermal stability (high thermal conductivity and low CTE). However, these materials have limited toughness precluding their use in many potential applications including some missile defense components which need Be replacement. M Cubed proposes an innovative modification of these materials to impart them high toughness. In the Phase I program, M Cubed has teamed up with a major MDA prime contractor and a leading University to prove the feasibility of the proposed toughening approach. In this program, the toughness enhancement will be demonstrated first. Next, a subscale demonstration component will be fabricated for characterization by the MDA prime contractor."
"High Toughness, Hard Faced Metal Matrix Composite SAPI Plates",W911QY-04-C-0034,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2004,1,69657.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael Aghajanian,VP Product Development,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Michael Aghajanian,VP Product Development,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,"An extremely capable team of M Cubed Technologies and Simula is proposing to replace existing ceramic-based small arms protective insert (SAPI) personnel armor plates with hard-faced metal matrix composite (MMC)-based products. This new product will offer much greater durability due to the relatively high fracture toughness of MMCs relative to ceramics. In short, the program will produce MMC tiles, examine hard facing of the tiles via traditional thermal spray processes, and characterize the products for physical and ballistic properties. Variables to be studied will include the MMC composition, the type and thickness of hard facing, and the hard coating process. Finally, an economic analysis of the most promising system(s) will be made, with a comparison to the current ceramic-based systems. The strengths of the team members will be utilized, such as M Cubed's expertise in developing, characterizing and commercializing advanced materials; and Simula's expertise in designing, testing, manufacturing and fielding advanced armor systems."
Monolithic Approach to Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Aluminum,NNM04AA55C,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2004,1,69338.00,Nassau Stern Company,"4142 Ogletown-Stanton Road, #308",,Newark,DE,19808 0613,No,No,No,Alexander Brown,Business Official,3025590504,alexbrown@comcast.net,Alexander Brown,Principal Investigator,3025590504,alexbrown@comcast.net,"Nassau Stern Company is investigating an approach for manufacturing oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) aluminum in bulk rather than powder form. The approach combines novel ceramic injection molding technology to produce preforms for subsequent pressure infiltration casting with aluminum. The preforms contain between 30 and 40 volume percent sub-micron aluminum oxide and 60 to 70 volume percent nano-porosity. The resulting ODS aluminum could be near net-shape or as a billet ready for secondary processing. If successful, this approach will eliminate defects associated with consolidating powders into bulk form, such as contamination, adsorbed gas and non-uniform packing. Elimination of these defects will allow the ODS aluminum to perform closer to theoretical tensile strength, especially at elevated temperatures. ODS aluminum is also expected to possess exceptional elevated temperature fatigue behavior, vital for aerospace propulsion components and structures. The high level of aluminum oxide will also improve thermal expansion and stiffness behavior of the ODS aluminum. The envisioned elevated temperature performance of ODS aluminum will open up a wide range of space and aviation applications not feasible for conventional aluminum alloys."
Low Pressure High Density Oxygen Gas Storage,1R43HL076880-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2004,1,99770.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,Dan Wu,,3023696166,SORPTIONSTI.AOL.COM,Xiaochun S. Lu,,3023696166,SEANLU@SORPTIONTECHNOLOGIES.COM,"This NIH SBIR Phase I research will study the feasibility of using our recently developed large
micropore volume activated carbon (LMPV-AC) material for medical oxygen gas storage applications. The proposed research is based on the fact that the proposed material possesses large micropore volume with relatively uniform pore size distribution and is able to adsorb/desorb a large amount of oxygen gas at a relatively small pressure. It is estimated that the proposed system could achieve the same oxygen storage density as that of a 150atm compressed cylinder with just 10-15atm pressure. With such low storage pressure, oxygen storage for home oxygen therapy will be safer, cheaper, and more convenient. It is also possible that the proposed system would be allowed in commercial airplanes, and the oxygen refill can be
done at home safely with an oxygen concentrator.
During Phase I research, the proposed carbon material will be optimized and characterized to achieve the best oxygen storage performance; the material's oxygen adsorption/desorption isotherms will be measured; the kinetic oxygen charge/discharge properties and related heat management will be studied; and the preliminary design of a LMPV-AC based low-pressure high-density oxygen storage system will be performed. The Phase I work will lay the background for the Phase II work, which will further develop and commercialize the proposed system.
If successful, this research will lead to a low-pressure high-density oxygen gas storage system for the home oxygen therapy applications. With this system, potentially hazardus high pressure gas cylinders and troublesome liquid oxygen canisters can be eliminated. Therefore, the proposed technology will benefit to the home oxygen therapy patients, which is estimated to be 0.5 to 0.8 million people in the United States."
AN INNOVATIVE INDOOR HUMIDITY CTRL SYS,N43ES415522,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2004,1,93988.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,3023696166,,Xiaochun Lu,X,,,N/A
Novel Nano-Laminated Fe Soft Magnetic Materials with High Flux Density,N00024-04-C-4198,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2004,1,69854.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,Robert A. Wolffe,Chief Operating Officer,3023696166,sorptionsti@aol.com,XiaoChun Lu,Sr. Scientist,3023696166,xiaochunlu@aol.com,"We propose to develop a novel nano-laminated Fe magnetic core material. With our proprietary technique, we have developed a process to create Fe sheets of hundred nanometers thick. By coating these Fe sheets with a thin insulating layer and subsequent consolidation, we can achieve nano-laminated soft magnetic Fe cores, which is a nano-scale version of the conventional laminated silicon steel cores. This innovation makes it possible to form and preserve the nanometer sheet structures during the process. The process greatly simplifies the manufacture procedures and reduces the cost. The net-shape capability further reduces the cost. The materials have low weight and are anticipated to have good mechanical properties. More importantly, it is likely to achieve high magnetic flux density over a wide frequency from dc to MHz range, surpassing any current commercial materials. The proposal objective is the feasibility demonstration of fabricating nano-laminated Fe cores with high flux density close to 1.9T, low weight, low cost, and good mechanical properties. Specifically, we will (1) determine the experimental conditions to form nano-laminates; (2) optimize the structure to achieve good magnetic properties; and (3) achieve dense compacted samples with magnetic and mechanical properties similar to those of M-19 silicon steel."
Development of Dynamic Structures for Postural Support,1R43HD047095-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2004,1,100000.00,"TOM NEWBY DESIGN, INC.","TOM NEWBY DESIGN, INC.","37 PAXON DR, PENARTH",WILMINGTON,DE,19803,No,No,No,,,3025213994,,Thomas O. Newby,,3025213994,TOMNEWBYDESIGN@AOL.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of this investigation is to create a practical dynamic structure for maintaining beneficial postural positioning and for supporting the body mass of non-ambulatory individuals with weakened skeletal muscular systems. Principal to this objective is the aim to provide the individual user greater freedom of motion than is currently available through comparable postural support systems. Incorporating an integrated design of encased flexible elastic members this self-righting structure will provide the user with both vertical support and lateral stability. Easily attached to existing mobility systems, this unobtrusive support system will help to maintain beneficial posture while allowing a wide degree of forward and back, side to side and radial thoracic movement within the seated position. Anticipating that the dynamic nature of the structure will help to relieve the fatigue and stress associated with wheelchair use, the individual user will hopefully be afforded increased mobility and functionality while preserving the protective benefits of more restrictive systems.
Phase one will include the development of an adult sized working prototype, a limited production of secondary prototypes and the initiation of preliminary clinical testing. Once a preferred design is established in the larger scale, it will be reproduced in three gradient smaller versions relating to the sizes of the children selected to assist in the clinical testing. In the clinical evaluation the emphasis will be upon developing effective quantitative methods for determining performance benefits and comfort issues in comparison to existing support systems.
In Phase two a similar structure will be adapted to support and to stabilize the body mass of a standing individual. Intended for use in a therapeutic environment, this structure will afford the user, hands free, thoracic support while allowing for centralized shifting of body weight within standing and walking exercises. The secondary aim of the investigation will be to explore other potential applications for this support structure including upright mobility, equine therapy, long term seating and recreational uses.
The primary goals of this development are: 1, to foster greater independence among individual users while providing the numerous health benefits of maintaining proper postural support and 2, to enrich and broaden the general life experience of children with weakened skeletal muscular systems."
Personalizing Speech Output for Communication Devices,1R41DC006193-01,HHS,HHS,STTR,2003,1,199852.00,"AGORANET, INC.","AGORANET, INC.","314 E MAIN ST, STE 1",NEWARK,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,3022242475,,Timothy H. Bunnell,,,,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): ModelTalker is a text-to-speech synthesis (TTS) system intended to be of particular interest to potential Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device users. Most present AAC devices use TTS software that derives from rule-based formant synthesis algorithms developed in the 1970s, but modern concatenative synthesis systems (of which ModelTalker is an example) can provide much more natural sounding synthetic speech of equal or higher intelligibility. Additionally, while rule-based formant synthesis typically produces speech resembling no particular speaker, concatenative synthesis affords the possibility of capturing the voice of a specific individual because it is based on sampling the speech of an individual speaker. This capability to produce personalized, unique, synthetic voices is one of the strongest attractions of concatenative synthesis for AAC device users. This STTR application seeks funding to transfer the ModelTalker TTS technology from the research laboratory in which it was developed to a small business for the purpose of commercialization. In the transfer process, specific enhancements to the synthesis software are proposed, and a new voice will be developed to (a) demonstrate that the ModelTalker TTS system is competitive with existing TTS systems in terms of both naturalness and intelligibility, and (b) provide one of several default voices that will ship with a commercial version of the system. Long Term goals for this project are to bring the method for personalizing synthetic ""voices"" to the general AAC population by packaging the ModelTalker engine with voice creation tools currently being developed. It is anticipated that this technology will have broader appeal for applications in which people want a unique synthetic voice (e.g. educational software and email dictation)."
New Materials for Plague Antigen and Antibody Detection,1R43AI052872-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2003,1,98530.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,Charles Saller,,3026544492,CSALLER@ABSBIO.COM,Mary A. Reppy,,3026544492,REPPY@ABSBIO.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop novel soluble sensing materials that can be used in homogenous fluorescence assays for the detection of Yersinia pestis antigens and antibodies. Y. pestis is the etiological cause of plague and a potential biowarfare agent. The sensing materials are solutions of functionalized liposomes that become fluorescent when they bind selectively to the antibody targets. The solutions will be used to develop both competitive assays for detection of the Y. pestis F1 antigen and direct one-step assays for the detection of Y. pestis antibodies that can be performed in commonly available plate readers. Swift identification of a Y. pestis infection is very important to insure timely and appropriate treatment. Current methods of diagnosis (culture, fluorescent antibody staining, agglutination tests) are slow, complicated, require trained personnel and are not suitable for screening large numbers of samples quickly, in the advent of a biological attack. ELISA and PCR methods for detection of Y. pestis infection are in development, however, these methods also require multiple steps, expensive reagents and/or equipment. The assays developed from our sensing materials will be inexpensive, reliable, simple and swift. The materials will subsequently be adapted for detection of antibody response to other diseases, for medical diagnostics and vaccine research."
SBIR Phase II: Development of a Novel Sensing Material for Waterborne Pathogens,0239587,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2003,2,499748.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,,,Mary Reppy,,,,"This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Project proposes to develop a method to detect Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst in water using a novel sensing coating deposited on filters. C. parvum has been responsible for a number of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis, including the outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993 that affected 400,000 people. Crytosporidiosis is characterized by abdominal pain and severe diarrhea, and can be fatal to immune-compromised individuals. Currently, there is no easy and reliable test allowing the routine monitoring of drinking water supplies for C. parvum. The approved EPA method for this purpose is slow, expensive, and requires interpretation by highly trained personnel. The innovation inherent in the proposed pathogen detection platform resides in a unique ""smart"" polymer filter coating that permits pathogen concentration, detection, and signal generation in a single step. The signal is generated from interactions between the target and specific antibodies, resulting in a fluorescent signal. Prior Phase I work has already demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. The proposed Phase II effort will focus on the optimization of the filter coating and the development of the accompanying hardware and testing protocol needed for commercialization and EPA approval of a complete water-testing product.
The commercial application of this project is in the market for detection of pathogens in drinking water supplies. The testing market for C. parvum, the specific pathogen targeted in this Phase II project, is estimated to be $75 million in the U.S. and $ 100 million worldwide. It is expected that further adaptations of the pathogen detection technology proposed in this project will have added applications in the markets for the testing of foods and beverages, and in medical diagnostics."
SBIR Phase II: Development of a Novel Sensing Material for Waterborne Pathogens,0239587,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2003,1,0.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,,,Mary Reppy,,,,"This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Project proposes to develop a method to detect Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst in water using a novel sensing coating deposited on filters. C. parvum has been responsible for a number of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis, including the outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993 that affected 400,000 people. Crytosporidiosis is characterized by abdominal pain and severe diarrhea, and can be fatal to immune-compromised individuals. Currently, there is no easy and reliable test allowing the routine monitoring of drinking water supplies for C. parvum. The approved EPA method for this purpose is slow, expensive, and requires interpretation by highly trained personnel. The innovation inherent in the proposed pathogen detection platform resides in a unique ""smart"" polymer filter coating that permits pathogen concentration, detection, and signal generation in a single step. The signal is generated from interactions between the target and specific antibodies, resulting in a fluorescent signal. Prior Phase I work has already demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. The proposed Phase II effort will focus on the optimization of the filter coating and the development of the accompanying hardware and testing protocol needed for commercialization and EPA approval of a complete water-testing product.
The commercial application of this project is in the market for detection of pathogens in drinking water supplies. The testing market for C. parvum, the specific pathogen targeted in this Phase II project, is estimated to be $75 million in the U.S. and $ 100 million worldwide. It is expected that further adaptations of the pathogen detection technology proposed in this project will have added applications in the markets for the testing of foods and beverages, and in medical diagnostics."
Novel Affordable Composites from Renewable Resources,2003-33610-13054,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2003,1,75000.00,Cara Plastics,"1 Innovation Way, Ste. 301",,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,Richard B. Chapas,Chief Operating Officer,3026227070,rich.chapas@caraplastics.com,Richard B. Chapas,,9125711552,rich.chapas@caraplastics.com,"NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Composites today are based on petroleum-based polymers and energy intensive fiber glass. Our dependency on petroleum results in carbon dioxide emissions, which can be harmful to the environment. The purpose of this project is to prepare and test specific resins from natural oils for their compatibility with natural fibers, and the properties necessary for structural applications of composites made from utilizing these bio-resins and bio-fibers in the Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) process. If this project is successful, the resultant composites will find application in a wide variety of end-uses from automotive to housing to packaging. These composites will reduce our dependency on petroleum and result in a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions."
Reclamation of Space Mission Water,NAS9-03013,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2003,1,69997.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Lester,Business Official,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Hans Glaeser,,3029997996,hglaeser@compactmembrane.com,"For long duration exploratory space missions, reclamation of water for potable and hygiene uses from waste water is of vital importance. Approximatesly 230 kg of waste water are generated from four person crew during course of normal daily activities. Physicochemical methods presently in place (e.g. phase change and/or membrane processes) reduce total organic carbon (TOC) to 30-300 mg/liter. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) will introduce a novel passive membrane polishing system to remove most of remaining TOC. In Phase I, CMS will first fabricate this innovative polishing system for laboratory use and demonstrate removal of typical organics (e.g. ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol) from 5000 mg/liter to 500 mg/liter. CMS will also develop key basic data associated with membrane transport, system design, and energy consumption to provide key economic evaluation for Phase II optimization. With no moving parts and projected enhanced performance compared to existing systems, CMS system should provide significant value for waste water clean-up. CMS has large commercial partners in other membrane applications. Once CMS demonstrated feasibility in Phase I we are well positioned to work with these partners in Phase II in subsequent NASA and non-NASA commercial areas."
Enhanced Soil Vapor Extraction,68-D-03-015,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2003,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Mark Stutman,,3029997996,mstutman@compactmembrane.com,"Conventional volatile organic compound (VOC) recovery membranes (silicone rubber) preferentially transport organics over air. Although this silicone rubber has shown some success, it is not appropriate upstream of catalytic oxidation. Catalytic oxidation requires modest increases in VOC concentration at pressure to maintain performance. This is best achieved by using a reverse separation membrane that simply permeates the air and keeps the VOC at concentration while maintaining pressure.
VOC separations from air is a major environmental issue. Numerous sources of VOC emissions exist, including gasoline underground storage tanks, soil contamination, and tank farms. This research project will focus on demonstrating the utility of a new class of Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) membranes for reducing the cost of soil vapor extraction (SVE). Even though the project focuses on SVE applications, it is believed that the CMS membrane technology has broad value in many air-VOC separations. The goal is to demonstrate a 20 percent cost reduction in SVE processing.
CMS has developed a system that uses a specially coated membrane and pressure differential that separates clean air from VOCs and allows the fresh air to be exhausted into the atmosphere. This system will be built and evaluated first in CMS¿ laboratory and then at an actual soil vapor extraction site. Specifically, in collaboration with industrial partners, CMS will demonstrate performance at an actual diesel fuel SVE site during Phase I. Results will be compared to alternative technologies, such as carbon absorption and catalytic oxidation. Also, in the economical evaluation, CMS will consider specific hybrid systems if necessary to meet goal targets.
The market opportunity is large. In SVE application, more than 200,000 sites require remediation. In a parallel opportunity for venting of gasoline storage tanks, there is an opportunity to reduce annual gasoline emissions to the atmosphere by 0.15 percent, which is 180 million gallons per year. At $1.50/gallon, this is an annual fuel savings of $270 million."
Retrofitting Diesel Electrical Generators for Emission Reduction,68-D-03-041,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2003,2,225000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,"Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) are used routinely to supply electrical power. Hospitals, businesses, and small communities use gen-sets to help reduce costs by load leveling and provide emergency power during blackouts (either scheduled or unscheduled). Recent power outages in California have led to large increases in the purchase of gen-sets, primarily for providing emergency power. In addition to providing value associated with load leveling and emergency power, gen-sets have an added value in that they can be installed relatively rapidly.
Although gen-sets are, in principle, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, many of these gen-sets are being rapidly installed with minimal concern for EPA emissions and exclusively focus on providing back-up power to avoid blackouts. The net effect of these events should be an increase in air pollutants (mostly NOx) as these gen-sets are brought online.
In Phase I, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) met and exceeded all project goals. This included: (1) demonstration of 50 percent NOx reduction while having minimal effect on other pollutants, (2) fabrication of prototype membrane systems/devices for easy installation or retrofit into diesel generators, and (3) enhanced overall membrane/system performance to perform better even when only low turbo pressure is available.
This success has led to the active participation in the project of a major industrial gas membrane company, a major diesel generator company, the U.S. Navy, and a major university. The participation of these groups will enhance Phase II and subsequent commercialization.
In Phase II, CMS will design and build full-size retrofit kits and install them on intermediate-scale diesel generators (e.g., 1,500 kw). Working with their diesel generator partner, CMS will modify turbocharger operating conditions and engine operating conditions to reduce NOx emissions and have a minimal effect on particulate emissions. Working with their industrial gas partner, CMS will optimize membrane design to match engine needs. The company also will demonstrate performance over an extended period of time to show system ruggedness. CMS will perform an economic evaluation to demonstrate that the retrofit system is cost effective compared to alternative systems."
Enhanced Oxygenation of Bioreactors,1R43HL070406-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2003,1,118220.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-lester,,3029997996,STUART.NEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart Nemser,,,,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):
This project will significantly enhance bioreactor product Mty by significantly increasing the bubbleless oxygen delivery to bioreactors. Sales of major biopharmaceuticals currently exceed $18 billion. Oxygen limitations often control cell growth and viability and therefore product titer. Sparging is extensively used to oxygenate fermentation broths using additives (e.g. Pluronic compounds) to 3rotect cells from shear. High gas transfer membranes provide a practical alternative to sparging, reducing product purification steps and allowing increased cell densities and product titer. To date, non-porous silicone rubber tubing provides limited oxygen enhancement while occupying much volume. Hydrophobic microporous membranes, while working well initially, quickly wet out or have cells grow into the pores and dramatically reduce flow. We propose using a novel family of non-porous perfluorinated hollow fiber membranes to dramatically enhance bioreactor oxygenation. We propose an innovative structure using a novel high gas flux non-porous perfluoromembrane coating to provide the needed wet-out resistance and high gas flux on top of a porous support. By doing this we can optimize the porous support and overall system for high flux or steam sterilization in combination with wet-out resistance. The non-porous perfluorinated nature of CMS membranes suggests that wet-out and cells growing into the support should not be an issue. In this Phase I program we will: a) fabricate hollow fiber membrane modules with CMS perfluorinated membranes, b) evaluate their oxygen delivery capability to both bioreactor broth and actual cell cultures, c) demonstrate enhanced growth of both cells and hybridoma, and d) demonstrate enhanced oxygen delivery to bioreactors and e) demonstrate a steam sterilizability non-wetting hollow fiber system. Economic evaluation will also be done to determine overall value of membrane oxygenators."
SBIR Phase I: Reduced Emissions from Combustion Processes,0231609,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2003,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Donald Stookey,,,,"This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the reduction of NOx emissions from coal-fired power plants. The concept uses existing burner technology plus nitrogen enriched air (NEA) based on membrane technology to reduce NOx emissions. Modeling work projects 300-fold NOx emissions reductive using this approach. Preliminary estimates suggest that this approach will be less expensive than existing selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. The program focuses on coal fired electrical power facilities since they are most demanding due to high flame temperature and high contamination level. Phase I will demonstrate process feasibility on small furnace system and will identify leading low cost NEA candidate (membrane or pipeline nitrogen). The results will be compared to existing SCR NOx cleanup technologies.
If successful this technology offers major cost effective routes to reduction of NOx in coal-fired power plants and other facilities."
Enhanced Ozone Disinfection of Biofilms in Waterlines,2R44DE012560-02A2,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2003,2,839213.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart Nemser,,3029997955,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dental Unit Waterlines have come under increasing scrutiny as residents of biofilms which harbor and release bacteria and in some instances harmful pathogens. As a result ADA has pro actively recommended that the water delivered by dental equipment have 3 mg per liter) can remove all of the planktonic bacteria and reduce biofilm levels by 99.99%. This suggerts that routine treatment (e.g. 1 hour/day) with O3 will treat both free floating planktonic bacteria and biofilms. We have also shown through the use of a confocal laser scanning microscope that >50% of the microbial load in the biofilm can be inactivated within three minutes of treatment.
We also demonstrated the supply of dissolved O3 in water without bubbles using composite CMS perfluoromembranes on chemically resistant micro porous supports. In parallel we have also established a commercial supply of CMS membrane devices for bubbleless O3 delivery and have demonstrated the performance of a commercial chemically inert CMS membrane device for ozone dissolution. Since we have the key components in place, commercialization of the O3 delivery system is simplified. Phase II will focus on expanding this technology towards the delivery of a functional prototype for clinical testing at a dental practice. We have brought on board 2 biofilm experts to evaluate biofilm removal and study potential for regrowth. Customization of the membrane device will be conducted during the Phase II study, prior to market introduction during Phase III."
Enhanced Ozone Disinfection of Biofilms in Waterlines,2R44DE012560-02A2,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2003,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart Nemser,,3029997955,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dental Unit Waterlines have come under increasing scrutiny as residents of biofilms which harbor and release bacteria and in some instances harmful pathogens. As a result ADA has pro actively recommended that the water delivered by dental equipment have 3 mg per liter) can remove all of the planktonic bacteria and reduce biofilm levels by 99.99%. This suggerts that routine treatment (e.g. 1 hour/day) with O3 will treat both free floating planktonic bacteria and biofilms. We have also shown through the use of a confocal laser scanning microscope that >50% of the microbial load in the biofilm can be inactivated within three minutes of treatment.
We also demonstrated the supply of dissolved O3 in water without bubbles using composite CMS perfluoromembranes on chemically resistant micro porous supports. In parallel we have also established a commercial supply of CMS membrane devices for bubbleless O3 delivery and have demonstrated the performance of a commercial chemically inert CMS membrane device for ozone dissolution. Since we have the key components in place, commercialization of the O3 delivery system is simplified. Phase II will focus on expanding this technology towards the delivery of a functional prototype for clinical testing at a dental practice. We have brought on board 2 biofilm experts to evaluate biofilm removal and study potential for regrowth. Customization of the membrane device will be conducted during the Phase II study, prior to market introduction during Phase III."
Concentration Method for Thermally Labile Pharmaceutical,9R44GM068419-02,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2003,2,707885.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,3029997996,john.bowser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Freeze-drying is commonly employed to concentrate temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. Freeze-drying is expensive and causes product degradation. Osmotic distillation (OD) is a candidate for gentler and lower-cost concentration but has not been commercially developed because microporous membranes fail due to wet-out. In Phase I, Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) used novel membranes to concentrate a model enzyme without wetting-out or causing activity loss as compared to control. Working with an industrial pharmaceutical company, we used OD to concentrate an antibiotic prior to super critical fluid extraction (SCFE). The OD-SCFE method recovered 27% more antibiotic than the traditional chemical extraction method. We have gained support from an industrial pharmaceutical company and two major membrane companies. These relationships enhance CMS's ability to complete Phase II and commercialize this technology. In Phase II, we will collaborate with our pharmaceutical partner to develop a process using OD for initial dewatering and SCFE for final concentration. Our Phase II focus will be: a) Further developing membrane/module for OD of pharmaceutical products b) Working with our pharmaceutical partner to build and test prototype system c) Obtaining key basic data and performing economic analysis
d) Performing long-term stability testing of OD process and biopharmaceutical product."
Concentration Method for Thermally Labile Pharmaceutical,9R44GM068419-02,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2003,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,3029997996,john.bowser@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Freeze-drying is commonly employed to concentrate temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. Freeze-drying is expensive and causes product degradation. Osmotic distillation (OD) is a candidate for gentler and lower-cost concentration but has not been commercially developed because microporous membranes fail due to wet-out. In Phase I, Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) used novel membranes to concentrate a model enzyme without wetting-out or causing activity loss as compared to control. Working with an industrial pharmaceutical company, we used OD to concentrate an antibiotic prior to super critical fluid extraction (SCFE). The OD-SCFE method recovered 27% more antibiotic than the traditional chemical extraction method. We have gained support from an industrial pharmaceutical company and two major membrane companies. These relationships enhance CMS's ability to complete Phase II and commercialize this technology. In Phase II, we will collaborate with our pharmaceutical partner to develop a process using OD for initial dewatering and SCFE for final concentration. Our Phase II focus will be: a) Further developing membrane/module for OD of pharmaceutical products b) Working with our pharmaceutical partner to build and test prototype system c) Obtaining key basic data and performing economic analysis
d) Performing long-term stability testing of OD process and biopharmaceutical product."
Enhanced Disinfection of Medical Facilities,1R43ES010899-01A2,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2003,1,108586.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Casey Hetrick,,3029997996,nadine.lester@compactmembrane.com,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Proper medical equipment disinfection is critical to protect patient and health care provider. Aging and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) compromised populations are more prone to infection. Chemical disinfectants (e.g., glutaraldehyde), while effective, require storing, handling, and disposing issues, associated with harsh chemicals. This application addresses novel new approaches for liquid disinfection of medical equipment which provide (1) point of use generation and use of liquid disinfectant, (2) strong disinfection capability, (3) ease of use, (4) no harsh chemical handling, and (5) no residual harsh chemicals.
In Phase I, the applicants will build prototype liquid disinfection systems and evaluate performance at removing representative pathogens from medical equipment in medical environments. A clear path to large-scale commercial supply has been identified and should aid in Phase I and Phase II success as well as commercial introduction. The greatest potential is in HLD of medical equipment. To demonstrate high-level effectiveness, generally recognized standard test methods (e.g., Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC)) will be used. Phase I evaluates both routine test surfaces and laryngoscopes as representative semi-critical pieces requiring HLD since laryngoscopes contacts mucous membranes and bodily fluids. Phase I will focus on bacterial spores and mycobacterium. Phase I will also demonstrate enhanced safety by showing no significant ozone is allowed to get into the air. Phase I will also demonstrate the stability of medical device materials (eg. stainless steel, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)) when exposed to Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. novel disinfection system."
"Improved Silicon Carbide Materials for Very High-Temperature, Fast-Spectrum Nuclear Energy Systems",DE-FG02-03ER83696,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2003,1,99887.00,"Lightweight Solutions, Inc.",306 Fashion Circle,,Newark,DE,19711 0242,No,No,No,T. Dennis Claar,,3022399710,dclaar@msn.com,T. Dennis Claar,,3022399710,dclaar@msn.com,"72556B03-I Advanced materials are sought that can meet the very demanding conditions required for a fast spectrum nuclear energy system to operate at temperatures greater than 900¿C. Silicon carbide (SiC)-based materials are prime candidates and have received extensive investigation; however, there remains a need for improved material performance, reduced manufacturing costs, and improved fabrication techniques. This project will develop improved SiC materials and processing, using an innovative reaction-forming approach. This approach offers the potential for a highly refined SiC microstructure (less than 0.5 microns), no residual silicon phase, very high purity (greater than 99.99%), and numerous low cost processing and fabrication advantages, including the ability to be bonded. Phase I will fabricate samples of high density SiC, characterize microstructure and properties, and determine basic processing parameters. Toughened SiC ceramic matrix composite systems will be investigated, and bonding/joining techniques will be evaluated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee: The development of SiC ceramics and composites, with significant performance improvements and low cost processing advantages, should be applicable as structural components for very high-temperature, fast-spectrum nuclear energy systems. Additional commercial applications include advanced turbine engine components, heat exchangers, automotive engine components, armor, cutting tools, and refractories."
"Rapid, low-cost composite manufacturing processes",DASG6003C0076,DOD,MDA,SBIR,2003,2,749952.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael Aghajanian,VP Product Development,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Prashant G. Karandikar,Director of R&D,3024548600,karandikar@mmmt.com,"M Cubed has developed three key processes (PRIMEX, DIMOX and reaction bonding) for manufacturing advanced materials components. The processes have been used to make a variety of components for commercial and military systems making them lighter, stiffer,highly functional and resistant to many threats. In the Phase I program, M Cubed demonstrated the feasibility of a revolutionary modification to these manufacturing processes to make the products made by these technologies further more cost effective forcommercial and military applications. In the proposed Phase II Program, the technology will be further refined and scaled up; prototype components of MDA interest will be designed, manufactured and characterized; and the technology will be brought to acommercialization-ready stage. M Cubed's current volume manufacturing infrastructure will allow rapid technology deployment in military and commercial markets."
Define/Demonstrate Beryllium (Be) Substitute Material,DASG6003P0172,DOD,MDA,SBIR,2003,1,69543.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael K. Aghajanian,VP Product Development,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Michael K. Aghajanian,VP Product Development,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,"An extremely capable team of M Cubed Technologies and Fraunhofer USA is proposing to replace high cost, toxic Be-based metals with innovative, Mg metal matrix composites (MMCs) in stiffness critical structural applications. In short, the program willevaluate processing of Mg MMCs via both pressureless infiltration and squeeze casting. Variables to be studied will include processing parameters, Mg alloy composition, and reinforcement type (e.g., B4C, SiC and Al2O3). In all cases, the reinforcementwill be particles (i.e., not fibers) to provide attractive economics and isotropic composites. After fabrication, the novel composites will be characterized and their utility as replacements for Be-based metals will be analyzed. The strengths of the teammembers will be utilized, such as M Cubed's expertise in developing, characterizing and commercializing advanced materials; and Fraunhofers's expertise in designing new materials and working with an international network of Universities and labs tounderstand material behavior and optimize performance.The Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of producing low cost, high performance Mg MMCs as replacements for Be-based metals. In a subsequent Phase II program, processing parameters will be optimized, a full compliment of property data will begenerated, and a full-scale demonstration component will be fabricated for MDA. Military and commercial applications for cost effective, light weight, high performance materials to replace Be-based metals abound, including space structures, airframecomponents, mirror supports, and stages for semiconductor manufacturing."
"High Performance, Concealed, Ceramic-Based Armor Panels for Military and Commercial Vehicles",DAAE07-03-C-L03,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2003,1,119295.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael K. Aghajanian,Director of Product Devel,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Michael K. Aghajanian,Director of Product Devel,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,"An extremely capable team of M Cubed Technologies and Simula is providing an innovative approach to the design and fabrication of ceramic-based armor panels for military and commercial vehicles. In short, large ceramic tiles of complex shape willfabricated, then encapsulated in ballistic polymer. The resultant panels will match the shape of internal cavities within the commercial vehicle, thus allowing ease of integration. The use of large curved tiles will allow the cost of the system to be low(no building of arrays with smaller tiles), and will allow the armor system to function as part of the structure of the vehicle. The program will include many activities, such as design, ceramic fabrication, armor system fabrication, and ballistictesting. The strengths of the team members will be utilized, such as M Cubed's expertise in developing and manufacturing large, complex reaction bonded ceramic structures; and Simula's expertise in armor design, ballistic testing and armor systemmanufacturing. The Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of producing a low cost, high performance concealed armor system for commercial/military vehicles. In a subsequent Phase II program, a full-scale demonstration of the innovativeconcepts will be made. Applications for cost effective, light weight, high performance commercial vehicle armor abound, including a broad range of military vehicles, cash transport trucks, parade vehicles, cars for corporate officials, and vehicles forforeign dignitaries."
A Carbon-Polymer Matrix-Based Flue Gas Desulfurization Technology,68-D-03-035,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2003,1,69996.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,,Xiao-Chun Lu,,3023696166,xiaochunlu@aol.com,"This Phase I research project involves an innovative technology for sulfur dioxide (SO2) removal from coal-burning flue gases: flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technology. The current FGD technologies are expensive and energy extensive, and they generate secondary pollution. For example, the limestone-based wet scrubber FGD system costs up to 15 percent of the total construction cost of a coal-fired power plant. It also generates huge amount of solid and liquid wastes, and consumes up to 4 percent of the electricity generated from the power plant.
The technology is based on an innovative catalytic sorbent system that directly converts SO2 into concentrated sulfuric acid. Furthermore, the system does not require a regeneration step, which typically is complex and energy intensive. Sorption Technologies, Inc., will establish the feasibility of the technology by designing and modifying the innovative catalytic sorbent material, testing the materialÂ¿s SO2 removal performance, and evaluating the systemÂ¿s long-term catalytic efficiency of SO2 conversion.
If successful, the technology will provide a simple, economic, and environmentally benign FGD process. The process will generate no environmental harmful wastes, except valuable sulfuric acid. The installation and operation costs will be substantially lower than current technologies. The process also will have the potential to remove multi-pollutants, such as mercury and fine particles, simultaneously."
SBIR Phase I: An Innovative Carbon-Polymer Matrix Material for Gas Separations,0232034,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2003,1,99998.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,,XiaoChun Lu,,,,"This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop an innovative carbon- polymer-matrix material for gas separation applications. Synthesized with a unique method, the material possesses unique chemical-physical properties, such as liquid expelling and catalytic reactivity. These unique properties, plus a suitable chemical modification, will render the material capable of removing sulfur dioxide and mercury vapor simultaneously from coal-fired power plant flue gases. During this Phase I program, the feasibility to synthesize the proposed material and to use the material for SO2/Hg removal will be established. The different synthesis methods will be tested to optimize the material's liquid expelling property; different chemical modification routes will be tried out to optimize the Hg capture capability; and the material's SO2 and Hg removal performance will be evaluated.
The research will provide a path-breaking new technology for flue gas pollution abatement, which is simple, low cost, and environment friendly. The technology will greatly benefit coal-fired electrical generation industry, which currently generates more than 50% of the electricity in the United States."
High Density Ambient Condition Ammonia Storage Materials,DAAD19-03-C-002,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,2003,1,69994.00,"CM-Tec, Inc.",1 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,Victor Wang,Manager,3023696166,SorptionSTI@aol.com,XiaoChun Lu,President,3023696166,xiaochunlu@aol.com,"In this Phase I program, a unique carbon material is proposed as high density, ambient condition ammonia vapor storage media. Ammonia is a potential solution of hydrogen supply for fuel cell systems; it has high hydrogen content and cracking ammoniagenerates COx-free hydrogen gas. The preferred ammonia storage system is the one that based on vapor adsorption system at near ambient conditions to avoid high pressure and potential liquid ammonia leakage.The proposed porous carbon materials adsorb and desorb large amounts of ammonia vapor at near ambient conditions. The overall storage capacities are up to 68% ammonia vapor per carbon weight, which corresponds to practical energy density of 2.36kWhe perkilogram carbon material. The ammonia vapor adsorption-desorption cycles operate between vapor pressure of 1 to 3 atmospheres; therefore, no high pressure or vacuum is required. The materials are synthesized from a low cost precursor with simple processes.During this Phase I study, the feasibility of using this carbon material for high capacity ambient condition ammonia storage applications will be established. That is, the carbon samples will be synthesized; their micropore structure and chemicalproperties will be modified; their ammonia vapor adsorption/desorption properties will be evaluated; and their ammonia vapor charging-discharging recyclability will be tested. The proposed system, if successful, will provide a high density, low cost, and ambient condition ammonia storage system. The proposed system will be ideal as person-portable power source for combat field soldiers. It will also have potential to be used ason-board fuel storage for fuel cell powered vehicles."
Fluorescent Liposomes for Detection of Biological Warfare Agent Toxins in Water,DAAD19-02-C-0073,DOD,ARMY,STTR,2002,1,99455.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,Charles Saller,President,7608395187,csaller@absbio.com,Mary Reppy,Director of Chemical Research,3026544492,reppy@absbio.com,"""Reliable and sensitive detection of potential biowarfare agent (BWA) toxins such as botulinum toxin, staphylococcal enterotoxin, saxitoxin, etc., is an important challenge during both military operations and for domestic anti-terrorism efforts. We proposeto develop biomimetic polymerized liposomes/antibody conjugates that will detect toxins in aqueous samples, and will be integrated into a portable fluorescence detection device. The integrated device will allow rapid and easy parallel testing of solutionsamples (i.e. from swab testing) for multiple BWA toxins. When the toxins bind to the antibodies the liposomes will become fluorescent; the liposomes can be readily formulated with different antibodies targeting different toxin targets and presented in amultiplex format for parallel screening. In Phase I we will prepare liposomes with antibodies to ovalbumin as a toxin simulant and design the detection unit. We will develop the antibody manipulation techniques for preparing the functionalizedliposomes and demonstrate proof-of-concept for detection, including control experiments. In Phase II we will prepare separate liposome formulations with antibodies to a variety of BWA toxins incorporated, build a prototype detection unit, and use theseto screen samples for multiple targets. An easy-to-use rapid portable detection system that can be used by both combat support units and first responders for early warning of attacks with biological warfare agents and post-attack forensic purposes. Thistechnology will also have significant dual-use applications in other areas of protein detection such as food safety, diagnostics, drug discovery, and environmental testing."""
Optical Sensing and Control of Polymer Processing,SB1341-02-W-1131,DOC,DOC,SBIR,2002,1,74278.00,Chemical ElectroPhysics Co. Inc.,705 Yorklyn Road,,Hockessin,DE,19707 0927,No,No,No,Michael McBrearty,President,,mm@cep-corp.com,Michael McBrearty,President,3022348206,mm@cep-corp.com,"A NIST/industry consortium identified accurate temperature distribution measurements, as one of the major technical needs of polymer processors. NIST developed a way to make spatially resolved temperature measurements. Add a small amount of dye. During processing, focus UV illumination onto a small volume element of the process material. Use the ratio of the resulting fluorescent intensities at two wavelengths to determine the temperature. Move the focal point up and down to construct temperature profiles. The proposed Phase 1 would evaluate the feasibility of this technology for meeting the stated need. We would build a prototype with improved spatial resolution, motorized positioning and a spectrometer rather than filters for detection. Results would include the prototype, a characterization of its performance, range of operation and the influence of process and material conditions, and a comparison with the needs of industry. A negative outcome in Phase 1 would imply that some fundamental limitation exists. A positive outcome would imply that the technology can probably meet industry's needs."
Enhanced Disinfection & Pesticide Removal From Fruits & Vegetables,2002-33610-12398,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2002,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants & Financial Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart M. Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"This study will focus on the further development and optimization of a new method to deliver ozone into process waters employed for washing fruits and vegetables. The FDA has just approved the use of ozone to control pathogens in the food processing industry. Key objectives of this study include development of pilot rig consisting of O3 generation, delivery equipment, while studying overall enhancement of O3 transfer efficiency, reduction of BOD and COD levels. This pilot rig will also be taken to a produce washing plant for onsite demonstration and testing. CMS is well positioned to do so with the business relationships that we have established with industrial organizations with competence in large-scale gas and industrial membrane separations. A commercial product will be derived from the program by combining the CMS' competency in membrane based O3 delivery systems, and the manufacturing and marketing prowess of our industrial partners."
Low Emission Diesel Engines,DE-FG02-01ER83167,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2002,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Laster,65445,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"65445 Consumption of diesel fuel and gasoline have led to significant dependence on foreign fuel as well as increased carbon dioxide emissions with the associated concern for global warming. Diesel engines are much more fuel efficient than spark/gasoline engines, but unfortunately diesel engines produce high NOx emissions. This has been addressed by a process known as exhaust gas recycle (EGR), which lowers NOx emissions by 50%; however, it also reduces engine life and puts significant stress on the cooling system. This project will utilize high productivity membranes in a combination with modest engine design changes to produce nitrogen-enriched air (cold/clean ERG) with overall NOx emissions reduced by 85% and little change in other emissions. The productivity from these membranes is sufficiently high to allow systems to be placed under the hoods of trucks. Using a single cylinder engine, Phase I demonstrated that the synergy of nitrogen enriching membranes and the unique combustion process can lead to 80-90% NOx reduction with no significant change in other emissions. In parallel, a viable route to large-scale membrane manufacture was established. Phase II will improve the membrane fabrication and engine design. The combustion process will be assessed over the full engine map and validated as a system. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The initial commercial focus will be for heavy duty diesel trucks that can meet the EPA regulation of 80-90% NOx reductions. Passenger vehicles should be a second tier opportunity."
Enhanced Disinfection & Pesticide Removal From Fruits & Vegetables,2002-33610-12398,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2002,2,296000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants & Financial Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart M. Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"This study will focus on the further development and optimization of a new method to deliver ozone into process waters employed for washing fruits and vegetables. The FDA has just approved the use of ozone to control pathogens in the food processing industry. Key objectives of this study include development of pilot rig consisting of O3 generation, delivery equipment, while studying overall enhancement of O3 transfer efficiency, reduction of BOD and COD levels. This pilot rig will also be taken to a produce washing plant for onsite demonstration and testing. CMS is well positioned to do so with the business relationships that we have established with industrial organizations with competence in large-scale gas and industrial membrane separations. A commercial product will be derived from the program by combining the CMS' competency in membrane based O3 delivery systems, and the manufacturing and marketing prowess of our industrial partners."
Fouling-Resistant Ultrafiltration Membranes for Treatment of Oily Bilge Water,68D02015,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2002,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,,Stuart Nemser,,,,"There is a recognized need for more effective and economical treatment processes for oily bilge waters. Direct filtration through currently available ultrafiltration (UF) membranes is a mechanically simple process that can provide excellent effluent quality. A limitation to more extensive use of this technology is the tendency of the hydrophilic membranes currently used to foul in the presence of oils, with a resultant drop in permeation capacity. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) has developed proprietary, inherently nonfouling UF membranes. In tests with simulated naval graywater, a CMS membrane delivered two to three times the steady-state permeate flow of a conventional hydrophilic UF membrane at process conditions typical of commercial installations. With the CMS membrane, the operating time between cleaning was more than three times longer. The goal of this project is to demonstrate that similar increases in permeate flux and operating time between cleanings can be achieved in the treatment of oily bilge waters. The low free surface energy of the CMS UF membrane should minimize adsorption of both oily substances and those bilge water constituents that foul hydrophilic membranes. During Phase I, CMS will vary water quality conditions by varying oil percentage and those additives (e.g., surfactants) that enhance fouling. By broadly evaluating performance, the range of applicability of the concept should be demonstrated. Rigorous analysis of various contact angles (e.g., oil/air/solid, water/air/solid, and water/oil/solid) will be used to explain results. This is a resubmittal of a previous request strengthened by revisions recommended by peer reviews."
Low Emission Diesel Engines,DE-FG02-01ER83167,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2002,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Laster,65445,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"65445 Consumption of diesel fuel and gasoline have led to significant dependence on foreign fuel as well as increased carbon dioxide emissions with the associated concern for global warming. Diesel engines are much more fuel efficient than spark/gasoline engines, but unfortunately diesel engines produce high NOx emissions. This has been addressed by a process known as exhaust gas recycle (EGR), which lowers NOx emissions by 50%; however, it also reduces engine life and puts significant stress on the cooling system. This project will utilize high productivity membranes in a combination with modest engine design changes to produce nitrogen-enriched air (cold/clean ERG) with overall NOx emissions reduced by 85% and little change in other emissions. The productivity from these membranes is sufficiently high to allow systems to be placed under the hoods of trucks. Using a single cylinder engine, Phase I demonstrated that the synergy of nitrogen enriching membranes and the unique combustion process can lead to 80-90% NOx reduction with no significant change in other emissions. In parallel, a viable route to large-scale membrane manufacture was established. Phase II will improve the membrane fabrication and engine design. The combustion process will be assessed over the full engine map and validated as a system. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The initial commercial focus will be for heavy duty diesel trucks that can meet the EPA regulation of 80-90% NOx reductions. Passenger vehicles should be a second tier opportunity."
Improved Fruit Juice Concentration Process,2002-33610-11807,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2002,1,80000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart M. Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,John J. Bowser,Director of New Technology,3029997996,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,"Concentration of fruit juices is a valuable unit operation. The current preferred method of juice concentration is triple effect evaporation. This technique cannot concentrate to high (75%) solids content without (1) developing a burnt taste to the sugar content and (2) driving off the low molecular weight hydrocarbons that provide most of the flavor and aroma difference between fresh and frozen concentrated juice. The need for a gentler process continues to be a major need associated with juice concentration. While membrane processes (reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration) offer excellent opportunity for avoiding exposure to high temperature they have complications associated with irreversible interactions between membrane and juice components. Osmotic distillation (popular term for isothermal membrane distillation) is a process for removing water by water vapor transport across a non-wetted microporous membrane using concentrated salt solution to dewater the juice. While this process works well initially, surfactants and oils in juices tend to wet out the membrane, plus high viscosity concentrate builds up at surface, and performance is lost. In this osmotic distillation program we will develop high water flux hydrophobic and organophobic non-porous coating for microporous hydrophobic membranes that should have sufficient water vapor transport and should eliminate significant concern for membrane wetting out. Enhanced system design will minimize concentration polarization."
Membranes for Air Venting and Retaining VOCs in Gasoline Storage Tanks,68D02014,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2002,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,,Stuart Nemser,,,,"Fugitive emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from gasoline marketing facilities continues to be an energy, safety, and environmental issue. Beginning in model year 2000, all vehicles are required to have an onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system, which will increase fugitive emissions from refueling stations because of the interface between ORVR vehicles and gasoline station underground storage tanks (USTs). The increase of VOCs is attributed to the ingestion of fresh air into the UST and mixing with the gasoline, causing an approximate 40 percent vapor growth. This growth increases the UST pressure and vents VOCs into the atmosphere. Conventional VOC recovery membranes (silicone rubber) preferentially transport organics over air. Although this system has shown success in some gasoline/air separations, it is not appropriate for air venting in USTs. Therefore, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) will develop a reverse-membrane system that allows for rapid venting of air while retaining gasoline in the UST. This membrane system will represent a simple single-stage, one-unit operation versus alternative technologies that are more complex. CMS has developed a system that uses a specialty-coated membrane and pressure differential that separates clean air from the VOCs and allows the fresh air to be exhausted into the atmosphere. This system will be built and evaluated first in CMS' laboratory and then at an actual gasoline station. Specifically, in collaboration with industrial partners, CMS will be able to demonstrate performance at an actual gasoline station during Phase I. Results will be compared to alternative technologies such as flares. Also in the economical evaluation, CMS will consider specific hybrid systems if needed to meet target goals."
NOVEL PYROGEN REMOVAL SYSTEM,1R43DK061780-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2002,1,110700.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,NLESTER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,stuart.nemser@compactmembrane.com,"DECRIPTION (Provided by applicant): Pyrogen-free water (PFW) is required in
many applications. Laboratories use it as solvent for compound preparation,
culture media, and equipment rinse. Hospitals use it for cleaning to prepare
solutions for injections, lV's, and hemodialysis. Pharmaceutical manufacturers
use it to formulate injectable drug preparations. Pyrogens, or fever-inducers,
are derived from metabolic byproducts of bacteria, molds, yeasts, viruses, and
certain chemicals.
Current technology used to prepare PFW include distillation, reverse osmosis,
and ultrafiltration. Overall these processes are complicated, prone to failure,
and in many cases do not remove sufficient pyrogens and are not ideal for small
scale facilities. In this program, Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has
identified a simple (push one button) system that is easily integrated into
existing systems for pyrogen removal.
The basis of the CMS technology is a novel oxidizing system that both kills
microorganisms and oxidizes their endotoxins. In Phase I we will develop this
novel oxidizing system and demonstrate superior pyrogen removal compared to
existing technologies.
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION:
Water for Injection including Kidney Dialysis water and pharmaceutical water."
Retrofitting Diesel Electrical Generators for Emission Reduction,68D03041,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2002,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,,Stuart Nemser,,,,"Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) are used routinely to supply electrical power. Hospitals, businesses, and small communities use gen-sets to help reduce costs by load leveling and provide emergency power during blackouts (either scheduled or unscheduled). Recent power outages in California have led to large increases in the purchase of gen-sets, primarily for providing emergency power. In addition to providing value associated with load leveling and emergency power, gen-sets have an added value in that they can be installed relatively rapidly. Although gen-sets are, in principle, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, many of these gen-sets are being rapidly installed with minimal concern for EPA emissions and exclusively focus on providing back-up power to avoid blackouts. The net effect of these events should be an increase in air pollutants (mostly NOx) as these gen-sets are brought online. In Phase I, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) met and exceeded all project goals. This included: (1) demonstration of 50 percent NOx reduction while having minimal effect on other pollutants, (2) fabrication of prototype membrane systems/devices for easy installation or retrofit into diesel generators, and (3) enhanced overall membrane/system performance to perform better even when only low turbo pressure is available. This success has led to the active participation in the project of a major industrial gas membrane company, a major diesel generator company, the U.S. Navy, and a major university. The participation of these groups will enhance Phase II and subsequent commercialization. In Phase II, CMS will design and build full-size retrofit kits and install them on intermediate-scale diesel generators (e.g., 1,500 kw). Working with their diesel generator partner, CMS will modify turbocharger operating conditions and engine operating conditions to reduce NOx emissions and have a minimal effect on particulate emissions. Working with their industrial gas partner, CMS will optimize membrane design to match engine needs. The company also will demonstrate performance over an extended period of time to show system ruggedness. CMS will perform an economic evaluation to demonstrate that the retrofit system is cost effective compared to alternative systems."
Retrofitting Diesel Electrical Generators for Emission Reduction,68D03041,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2002,2,225000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,,Stuart Nemser,,,,"Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) are used routinely to supply electrical power. Hospitals, businesses, and small communities use gen-sets to help reduce costs by load leveling and provide emergency power during blackouts (either scheduled or unscheduled). Recent power outages in California have led to large increases in the purchase of gen-sets, primarily for providing emergency power. In addition to providing value associated with load leveling and emergency power, gen-sets have an added value in that they can be installed relatively rapidly. Although gen-sets are, in principle, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, many of these gen-sets are being rapidly installed with minimal concern for EPA emissions and exclusively focus on providing back-up power to avoid blackouts. The net effect of these events should be an increase in air pollutants (mostly NOx) as these gen-sets are brought online. In Phase I, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) met and exceeded all project goals. This included: (1) demonstration of 50 percent NOx reduction while having minimal effect on other pollutants, (2) fabrication of prototype membrane systems/devices for easy installation or retrofit into diesel generators, and (3) enhanced overall membrane/system performance to perform better even when only low turbo pressure is available. This success has led to the active participation in the project of a major industrial gas membrane company, a major diesel generator company, the U.S. Navy, and a major university. The participation of these groups will enhance Phase II and subsequent commercialization. In Phase II, CMS will design and build full-size retrofit kits and install them on intermediate-scale diesel generators (e.g., 1,500 kw). Working with their diesel generator partner, CMS will modify turbocharger operating conditions and engine operating conditions to reduce NOx emissions and have a minimal effect on particulate emissions. Working with their industrial gas partner, CMS will optimize membrane design to match engine needs. The company also will demonstrate performance over an extended period of time to show system ruggedness. CMS will perform an economic evaluation to demonstrate that the retrofit system is cost effective compared to alternative systems."
Enhanced VOC Oxidation,68D02012,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2002,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,,Stuart Nemser,,,,"Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) continue to be major air pollutants. Existing technologies (e.g., thermal oxidation, catalytic oxidation) are costly processes that limit their commercial viability. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) proposes a novel enhanced VOC oxidation process. CMS' novel oxidation technique should require less maintenance, consume less fuel, and reduce NOx emissions compared to existing techniques.In Phase I, CMS will fabricate a laboratory system and demonstrate its viability for removing both aliphatic and aromatic VOCs. In addition, CMS will demonstrate the laboratory system's ruggedness. Performance as measured by enhanced oxidation and ruggedness will be compared to controls (e.g., catalytic oxidation).The commercial opportunity is large. Currently, there are many VOC oxidation systems in use, and if cost-performance could be enhanced consistent with this project, many other opportunities would develop. Opportunities include not only VOC removal, but also other more selective oxidation opportunities.CMS has existing developmental relationships with major industrial partners. These partners provide value for helping facilitate the Small Business Innovation Research Program and subsequent commercial developments."
Retrofitting Diesel Electrical Generators for Emission Reduction,68D02013,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2002,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3039997996,,Stuart Nemser,,,,N/A
ANTIMICROBIAL POLYMERS FOR MEDICAL APPLICATION,1R43HL069542-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2002,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACT.MEMBRANE.COM,Hans Glaser,,,,"A new class of antimicrobials based on dendrimer technology has been identified and shown to possess potent biocidal activity. Laboratory evaluation of these polycationic dendrimers has shown that they are more than 100 times more effective than a comparable amount of free quaternary ammonium compound at killing Esherichia coli. Potent activity against Staphylococcus aureus has also been demonstrated. These antimicrobial dendrimers have also been successfully immobilized on to linear polyurethanes. These non-leaching biocidal polymers demonstrated antibacterial activity, even though the degree of substitution was limited to approximately 3 weight percent. We propose to explore other methods to increase and optimize the level of incorporation of the dendrimer onto the polymer backbone. Following synthesis, materials will be tested for antimicrobial activity. It is expected that defining new techniques to covalently graft these compounds onto polymers will enhance the performance of these materials, and provide the basis for antimicrobial polymers and textiles for a wide range of applications, including medical devices (catheters, wound dressings, surgical drapes), antimicrobial air filters, and dental unit waterlines."
ENHANCED POWER FOR ASSISTED BLOOD CIRCULATION,1R43HL069556-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2002,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadiine Cragg-lester,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,3029997996,JBOWSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Total Artificial Heart (TAH) and related devices (e.g., ventricular assist device) are emerging that provide the potential for almost unlimited patient mobility and near-normal lifestyle for the patient. The new devices being developed are totally implantable, self-contained (battery is external), electrically driven systems. However, the power and energy density requirements of the new devices are high and in many cases exceed the best battery technology available today. The proposed research in this program seeks to develop novel primary batteries with three times the energy density of existing primary batteries. In Phase I we will demonstrate feasibility of enhanced battery components and obtain participation of major battery manufacturer. In Phase II we will integrate enhanced battery components into prototype battery and demonstrate improved performance compared to conventional batteries. In Phase I we will demonstrate feasibility of enhanced battery components as well as enhanced performance of laboratory batteries. In Phase II we will integrate enhanced battery components into prototype batteries and in field tests demonstrate improved performance compared to controls. Both phase I and Phase II programs will be enhanced by our recent addition of both commercial battery partner and commercial blood pump expert."
Retrofitting Diesel Electrical Generators for Emission Reduction,68-D-03-041,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2002,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,"Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) are used routinely to supply electrical power. Hospitals, businesses, and small communities use gen-sets to help reduce costs by load leveling and provide emergency power during blackouts (either scheduled or unscheduled). Recent power outages in California have led to large increases in the purchase of gen-sets, primarily for providing emergency power. In addition to providing value associated with load leveling and emergency power, gen-sets have an added value in that they can be installed relatively rapidly.
Although gen-sets are, in principle, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, many of these gen-sets are being rapidly installed with minimal concern for EPA emissions and exclusively focus on providing back-up power to avoid blackouts. The net effect of these events should be an increase in air pollutants (mostly NOx) as these gen-sets are brought online.
In Phase I, Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) met and exceeded all project goals. This included: (1) demonstration of 50 percent NOx reduction while having minimal effect on other pollutants, (2) fabrication of prototype membrane systems/devices for easy installation or retrofit into diesel generators, and (3) enhanced overall membrane/system performance to perform better even when only low turbo pressure is available.
This success has led to the active participation in the project of a major industrial gas membrane company, a major diesel generator company, the U.S. Navy, and a major university. The participation of these groups will enhance Phase II and subsequent commercialization.
In Phase II, CMS will design and build full-size retrofit kits and install them on intermediate-scale diesel generators (e.g., 1,500 kw). Working with their diesel generator partner, CMS will modify turbocharger operating conditions and engine operating conditions to reduce NOx emissions and have a minimal effect on particulate emissions. Working with their industrial gas partner, CMS will optimize membrane design to match engine needs. The company also will demonstrate performance over an extended period of time to show system ruggedness. CMS will perform an economic evaluation to demonstrate that the retrofit system is cost effective compared to alternative systems."
Fully Integrated Micro Sensor IMU,N00014-02-C-0295,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2002,2,430000.00,"Elsicon, Inc.",Delaware Technology Park,"5 Innovation Way, Suite 100",Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,Wayne M. Gibbons,President,3022667030,wmgibbons@elsicon.com,Wayne M. Gibbons,President,3022667030,wmgibbons@elsicon.com,"""The success or failure of military operations increasingly depends on situation awareness. Critical to situation awareness is the knowledge of the precise position and heading of enemy weaponry and personnel. There is a need for navigational systemsindependent of external sources and signals that would provide information about the position or movement of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) used to monitor military operations. The compact design makes the proposed Micro Sensor IMU rugged and robust formilitary applications. The integrated nature of the Micro Sensor IMU increases the potential for economical manufacturing. As a result, the Micro Sensor IMU has potential use in low cost UAV Avionics.BENEFITS: The compact, integrated, economical natureof the proposed Micro Sensor IMU makes it ideal for commercial applications. These devices are compact enough to be carried by individuals or incorporated into any moving vehicle. As a result, applications abound in the areas of security and travel. TheMicro Sensor IMU can be used in any navigation and guidance applications independent of the GPS system. However, the Micro Sensor is also synergistic with the GPS system and can increase the flexibility and reliability of navigation systems that use theGPS system."""
SBIR/STTR Phase I: Fabrication of High Temperature/Low RH Catalyst Coated Fuel Cell Membranes,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2002,1,99580.00,"Ion Power, Inc.",720 Governor Lea Road,,New Castle,DE,19720,No,No,No,,,,,Stephen Grot,,3028329550,s.grot@ion-power.com,"This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is aimed at optimizing the mass-transport properties of the cathode electrode for high temperature (120C), and dry air operation. The overall objective is to fabricate complete catalyst coated membranes utilizing the newly engineered cathode electrode layer, and test the improvements in a high temperature(120C) fuel cell. A second objective is to understand the water and reactant transport mechanisms occurring in the cathode electrode that are limiting the operating temperature and requiring high levels of cathode humidification.
Major benefits could be realized if proton exchange membrane fuel cells could be operated under hotter (> 90C) and drier conditions on the air electrode. Higher operating temperatures allow for an easier system heat rejection and a greater anode tolerance to CO contaminants typically found in reformed hydrocarbon fuel streams. Similar benefits can also be realized in building co-gen applications where a higher temperature."
"A rapid processing method for large, low-expansion, light-weight mirrors",F29601-03-C0012,DOD,MDA,SBIR,2002,1,69928.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael Aghajanian,"Director, Product Develop",3024548600,aghajanian@mmmt.com,Prashant Karandikar,Program Manager,3024548600,karandikar@mmmt.com,"""M Cubed has conducted preliminary work to fabricate near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) fiber reinforced ceramic composites. These composites have high specific stiffness and thermal stability (thermal conductivity/CTE). M Cubed has alsodeveloped ways to rapidly polish surfaces of various materials to Angstrom level surface finish. In the proposed program, these technologies will be combined to fabricate a 1m diameter light-weight space mirror. M Cubed has teamed with a leading primecontractor for several space-based initiatives. In the Phase I, first the composite manufacturing process will be refined through fabrication of coupons and extensive characterization. Next a prototype 1m diameter mirror will be designed and fabricatedfor technology demonstration. In the Phase II, the process will be further optimized, and even larger mirror components will be fabricated. These components will be tested by the prime contractor. The Phase I program will prove the feasibility of M Cubed'scomposite manufacturing process for fabricating large mirrors, and Phase II will optimize the component fabrication technology with respect to cost, fabrication time, polishing techniques etc.. At the end of Phase II, a scaled-up manufacturing processeswill be available for the production of various commercial and military space based mirrors. In addition to applications for space mirrors, the composite material is expected to have application"
"Rapid, low-cost composite manufacturing processes",DASG60-02-P-0032,DOD,MDA,SBIR,2002,1,69819.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Michael Aghajanian,Director of Product Devl.,3024548600,aghajanian@mmmtech.com,Prashant G. Karandikar,Program Manager,3024548600,karandikar@mmmtech.com,"""M Cubed has developed three key processes for manufacturing advanced materials components which include PRIMEX, DIMOX and reaction bonding. The processes have been used to make a variety of components for commercial and military systems making themlighter, stiffer, highly functional and resistant to many threats. However, market penetration has been achieved only in high value added commercial products making the products expensive for military applications as well. M Cubed proposes a revolutionarymodification to these manufacturing processes to make the products made by these technologies commercially viable and thus cost effective for military applications. In Phase I the feasibility of these modifications will be demonstrated. In Phase II, theseprocesses will be further optimized and used for manufacturing prototype components for ballistic applications. The Phase I program will prove the feasibility of a revolutionary modification to the above processes. At the end of Phase II, scaled-upmanufacturing processes will be available for the production of various commercial and military components. When commercialized the technology will produce affordable, strong, stiff, lightweight components in many application areas such as armor, thermalmanagement (military and commercial avionics), tank and automotive components, missiles etc."""
DEVELOPMENT OF A PULSED LED DENTAL PHOTOCURING SYSTEM,1R43DE014312-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2002,1,69190.00,"NEW PHOTONICS, LLC","NEW PHOTONICS, LLC",275 MERION RD,DOVER,DE,19904,No,No,No,Anne Rhoads,,3026727138,AERHOADS@AOL.COM,Noureddine Melikechi,,3028576656,NMELIKECHI@AOL.COM,"DESCRIPTION: Recently, New Photonics LLC (NP) demonstrated that newly developed
blue Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) used in continuous mode can provide up to 4
mm depth of cure in Dental composite resin in about 2 minutes of exposure.
Despite its many advantages, the commercial viability of this LED-based
technology would be significantly enhanced if the time of exposure necessary
for curing is reduced to a few seconds. The application proposes to investigate
the use of LEDs in a pulsed mode as a source of optical radiation for curing
Dental composite resins. The spectral output of the widely available blue-green
LEDs peaks at the excitation maximum of the camphorquinone photoinitiators used
in most Dental composites. The luminous output of the LEDs is entirely within
the absorption band of the photoinitiators. Use of pulsed LEDs is an attractive
option because it may allow for fine-tuning of the pulse timings to suitably
match the photopolymerization dynamics thus reducing cure time to what is
currently achieved with lasers. NP will develop a pulsed LED curing system and
investigate the curing characteristics (depth of cure, degree of conversion of
monomers to polymer, hardness, time of exposure, thermal load) of Dental resins
cured using pulsed LEDs."
Novel Fabrication Process for HTS Coated Conductor,F49620-02-C-0039,DOD,MDA,SBIR,2002,1,69990.00,Rey Research Corp.,31 Pierson Drive,,Hockessin,DE,19707-0102,No,Yes,No,Christopher M. Rey,Program Manager,3024944048,cmrey@reyresearch.com,Frank C. Yoon,Principal Investigator,3024944623,fcyoon@reyresearch.com,"High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) wires remain too fragile and expensive for widespread commercial implementation. There exists a great opportunity to improve upon their many unique properties. Proposed is a process for the fabrication of durable,inexpensive, ultra lightweight, high-performance HTS wires using novel materials. If successful, this new process will have a great economic impact on both military and commercial electric power storage, supply, and generation. In particular, thistechnology will have a distinct advantage in space-based applications, where weight and size restrictions are at a premium. HTS wires and cables, magnets, transformers, generators, motors, Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES), plasma confinement (e.g. nuclearfusion), magnetic levitation, magnetohydrodynamics, pulsed weapons, satellites, spacecraft"
Cost Effective Processing Equipment for Large Composite Parts,,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2001,2,598755.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Brian J. Waibel,Senior Partner,3023695390,bwaibel@accudynesys.com,Mark Gruber,Principal Investigtor,,accudyne@accudynesys.com,"Reduced mass materials are critical to the success of aerospace systems. Thus, large air and space structures can benefit from lightweight composite materials. However, their adoption is impaired by the lack of a robust, cost-effective fabrication process, principally because the autoclaves used to consolidate composite laminates are so expensive for large parts. This program develops for US aerospace companies the processing equipment that avoids the autoclave. In particular, this program will develop in situ deposition heads that can fit on aerospace company's existing placement machines so that air and spacecraft composites can be fabricated out of the autoclave.In phase I, the deposition head concept designs will be prepared and reviewed with leading aerospace industry contacts who we know from working with them on a multitude of non-autoclave processing programs in the past. There, we will get feedback for our head concept designs suitable for fabricating the thermoset and thermoplastic composite parts that they need. In phase II, we will complete the design, fabricate, and prove-out the head equipment. We then will provide in situ deposition heads to the industry that they can use for in situ consolidation of large composite parts."
Cost Effective Processing Equipment for Large Composite Parts,,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2001,1,0.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Brian J. Waibel,Senior Partner,3023695390,bwaibel@accudynesys.com,Mark Gruber,Principal Investigtor,,accudyne@accudynesys.com,"Reduced mass materials are critical to the success of aerospace systems. Thus, large air and space structures can benefit from lightweight composite materials. However, their adoption is impaired by the lack of a robust, cost-effective fabrication process, principally because the autoclaves used to consolidate composite laminates are so expensive for large parts. This program develops for US aerospace companies the processing equipment that avoids the autoclave. In particular, this program will develop in situ deposition heads that can fit on aerospace company's existing placement machines so that air and spacecraft composites can be fabricated out of the autoclave.In phase I, the deposition head concept designs will be prepared and reviewed with leading aerospace industry contacts who we know from working with them on a multitude of non-autoclave processing programs in the past. There, we will get feedback for our head concept designs suitable for fabricating the thermoset and thermoplastic composite parts that they need. In phase II, we will complete the design, fabricate, and prove-out the head equipment. We then will provide in situ deposition heads to the industry that they can use for in situ consolidation of large composite parts."
N/A,0109728,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2001,1,97456.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,Mary Reppy,Senior Research Chemist,3026544492,reppy@absbio.com,Mary Reppy,,3026544492,reppy@absbio.com,"This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I (SBIR) project will develop a novel sensing coating that will be deposited on filters for the detection of water-borne contaminants. The initial target will be the oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum, a water- borne pthogen. C. Parvum was responsible for the outbreak of cryptosporidiosis affecting 400,000 in Milwaukee WI in 1993 and other smaller outbreaks. Cryptosporidiosis is characterized by abdominal pain and severe diarrhea, and can be fatal to immune-compromised individuals. There is currently no easy and reliable test for C. parvum that allows routine monitoring of drinking water supplies. The proposed research will develop a sensing polymer coating, with antibodies and fluorophores incorporated, on a nanoporous membrane. The membrane will be used as filter to simultaneously concentrate and detect C. parvum in water. Binding of C. parvum to the coating will lead to a fluorescent signal. The Phase I research will focus on antibody conjugation to the polymer, fluorophore incorporation, and coating preparation, with the aim of demonstrating the feasibility of the sensing material. In Phase II, the materials will be optimized and incorporated into a detector that will combine filtration and fluorescence detection for monitoring drinking water supplies.
The principal commercial application of this project will be for detection of water-borne contaminants in our drinking water supplies, with a potential market comprising of a majority of public water systems in the country."
Near-Infrared Spectropolarimetry for On-Line Measurement of Polymer Rheology,DE-FG02-01ER83167,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2001,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"65445 Consumption of diesel fuel and gasoline have led to significant dependence on foreign fuel as well as increased carbon dioxide emissions with the associated concern for global warming. Diesel engines are much more fuel efficient than spark/gasoline engines, but unfortunately diesel engines produce high NOx emissions. This has been addressed by a process known as exhaust gas recycle (EGR), which lowers NOx emissions by 50%; however, it also reduces engine life and puts significant stress on the cooling system. This project will utilize high productivity membranes in a combination with modest engine design changes to produce nitrogen-enriched air (cold/clean ERG) with overall NOx emissions reduced by 85% and little change in other emissions. The productivity from these membranes is sufficiently high to allow systems to be placed under the hoods of trucks. In Phase I, membranes will be prepared and evaluated off-line to demonstrate the target levels of nitrogen-enriched air. Engine modifications will be introduced and evaluated under various operating conditions using bottled nitrogen-enriched air to show 95% NOx reduction. The membrane and engine results will be integrated to show feasibility for commercial use with minimal loss in fuel efficiency. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee: The initial commercial focus will be for heavy duty diesel trucks that can meet the EPA regulation of 80-90% NOx reductions. Passenger vehicles should be a second tier opportunity; the U.S. Government and the DOE have targeted the production of 80 mpg vehicles under the PNGV (Partnership for Next-Generation Vehicles), and diesel engines are leading candidates"
"High Permeability, Long-Wear Contact Lens Materials",,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,WWW.COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Nina M. Lamba,,,,N/A
"High Permeability, Long-Wear Contact Lens Materials",,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,2,375142.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,WWW.COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Nina M. Lamba,,,,N/A
IMPROVED OXYGENATION OF SYNTHETIC BIO-LIVER DEVICES,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACT.MEMBRANE.COM,Nina M. Lamba,,,,"Diabetic foot complications result in over 67,000 lower extremity
amputations annually and cause more hospitalizations than any other
single complication of diabetes. Foot wounds precede 84% of these
amputations and usually occur when patients with diabetes have
peripheral neuropathy and cannot feel foot trauma from ground-reactive
(shock) and shearing (friction) forces. This loss of sensation presents a
footwear challenge - to prevent wounds - current technologies don't
adequately address.
Currently, the most effective method for preventing foot wounds
involves (1) custom molded shoes or (2) extra-depth, extra-width
shoes; both with three sets of custom orthoses annually. These orthoses
are expected to counteract both shock and friction, but are insufficient.
These options have serious fit and availability limitations, and
significant material and labor costs.
Jointly with Z-Coil, Inc. of Albuquerque, MedEffciency poses to
develop the Circumferential Neuropathic Foot Protection System
(CNFP) - an extra-depth, extra-width protective shoe with a custom
orthosis. The shoe's patented spring technology absorbs shock, while its
silicone custom orthosis minimizes friction. Utilization should increase
with the ability to customize and dispense immediately with lower cost
than present alternatives, resulting in fewer foot wounds, fewer
amputations, reduced healthcare costs and higher quality of life for
patients with diabetes.
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS:
In the U.S. alone, there are estimated to be over 16 million people with
diabetes, with at least one-third undiagnosed. There are over 67,000
diabetic amputations each year, but the majority are avoidable with
proper intervention to prevent foot wounds. Proper footwear for these
patients is absolutely essential for wound prevention. If the CNFPS
could capture just 10% of the high-risk market for diabetic footwear, it
would generate revues in excess of $70 million each year based on
Medicare reimbursement rates, while still significantly reducing total
healthcare costs."
Harsh Fluorochemical Separations,DE-FG02-00ER83132,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2001,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants Manager,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"60311 There are economic and environmental justifications for replacing conventional distillation processes with simpler membrane separations in certain applications. However, at present, there are no commercial membranes able to withstand the aggressive conditions associated with important industrial chemicals, including hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, and ozone. Prototype, chemically resistant perfluorinated membranes have been developed and demonstrated to function with hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride gases. Using these membranes, this project will demonstrate several useful separations that have been requested by industrial gas manufacturers. In Phase I, novel membrane formulations were tested and verified with HCl and HF aggressive gases. Chemical compatibility and high gas flux were measured. Phase II will construct and test commercial membrane modules from the formulations demonstrated in Phase I. The process will be scaled-up and the economic advantages of using these membrane separations for semi-conductor and hydrogen fluoride alkylation manufacturing will be demonstrated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Applications include purification of materials in semiconductor manufacturing, waste reduction, and recycling of corrosive gases such as hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride in petroleum processing."
Harsh Fluorochemical Separations,DE-FG02-00ER83132,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2001,2,600000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants Manager,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"60311 There are economic and environmental justifications for replacing conventional distillation processes with simpler membrane separations in certain applications. However, at present, there are no commercial membranes able to withstand the aggressive conditions associated with important industrial chemicals, including hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, and ozone. Prototype, chemically resistant perfluorinated membranes have been developed and demonstrated to function with hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride gases. Using these membranes, this project will demonstrate several useful separations that have been requested by industrial gas manufacturers. In Phase I, novel membrane formulations were tested and verified with HCl and HF aggressive gases. Chemical compatibility and high gas flux were measured. Phase II will construct and test commercial membrane modules from the formulations demonstrated in Phase I. The process will be scaled-up and the economic advantages of using these membrane separations for semi-conductor and hydrogen fluoride alkylation manufacturing will be demonstrated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Applications include purification of materials in semiconductor manufacturing, waste reduction, and recycling of corrosive gases such as hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride in petroleum processing."
Membranes for Reverse Organic-Air Separations,DE-FG02-00ER82976,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2001,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"60395 Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from gasoline refueling facilities continue to be an energy, safety, and environmental issue. In such applications, it is desired to vent the air in the system and keep the VOC behind. This project will develop a reverse separation membrane (RSM) system that allows for rapid venting of air while retaining the gasoline in underground storage tanks (UST) at gasoline dispensing facilities, i.e. gas stations. The reverse separation membrane is ideally suited to keep VOC behind at atmospheric pressure, making retention of VOCs easier. Phase I field testing demonstrated membrane feasibility by lowering the HC emission level to less than 1% on the permeate side of the membrane. Phase II will build and test a single-stage RSM system that can dramatically reduce the VOC emissions from USTs and thereby dramatically reduce the loss of gasoline. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: In addition to the 182,000 gasoline-dispensing facilities (GDFs) with a savings of 180 million gallons of gasoline per year, several other potential VOC applications should value this technology, including chemical and pharmaceutical processes, tobacco reforming processes, fuel oil tank farm storage, and paint shop venting."
Membranes for Reverse Organic-Air Separations,DE-FG02-00ER82976,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2001,2,600000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,"60395 Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from gasoline refueling facilities continue to be an energy, safety, and environmental issue. In such applications, it is desired to vent the air in the system and keep the VOC behind. This project will develop a reverse separation membrane (RSM) system that allows for rapid venting of air while retaining the gasoline in underground storage tanks (UST) at gasoline dispensing facilities, i.e. gas stations. The reverse separation membrane is ideally suited to keep VOC behind at atmospheric pressure, making retention of VOCs easier. Phase I field testing demonstrated membrane feasibility by lowering the HC emission level to less than 1% on the permeate side of the membrane. Phase II will build and test a single-stage RSM system that can dramatically reduce the VOC emissions from USTs and thereby dramatically reduce the loss of gasoline. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: In addition to the 182,000 gasoline-dispensing facilities (GDFs) with a savings of 180 million gallons of gasoline per year, several other potential VOC applications should value this technology, including chemical and pharmaceutical processes, tobacco reforming processes, fuel oil tank farm storage, and paint shop venting."
Disinfecting Drinking Water Via Hybrid Ozone Systems,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,,,"The ozonation of drinking water is attractive for small communities that employ local wells or surface water sources provided it can be done at a reasonable cost. Although chlorine is widely used and is cheaper to use that ozone, its use results in the formation of carcinogenic trihalomethanes. Also chlorine has been found to be ineffective in the treatment of Cryptosporidium and viruses. Under an SBIR Phase I grant from the NIH, Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) demonstrated at lab-scale that CMS' membrane technology could be used to effectively ozonate water contaminated with organics, Cryptosporidium, humic acidd, bacteria, and viruses. Recently, CMS identified an ozone hybrid process that is 50-400 times more effective than ozone alone in destroying organic contaminants (no data yet on biologicals). In Phase I, CMS will build and evaluate this hybrid system for removal of Cryptosporidium, nitrobenzene, and humic acid. Long term (7+ days) testing and economic evaluations combined with hybrid system performance will provide understanding of system potential for enhancing cost effective production of quality non-carcinogenic (trihalomethane) drinking water. Focus will be initially on smaller facilities (serving 50, 000 people or less).
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION:
The proposed ozone hybrid system will provide clean drinking water free of organics, Cryptosporidium, humic acids, bacteria, and viruses in a cost effective way for small communities."
N/A,0110267,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2001,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Zewn Chen,,3029997996,jbowser@compactmembrane,N/A
N/A,0110267,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2001,2,500000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Zewn Chen,,3029997996,jbowser@compactmembrane,N/A
Antimicrobial Dendrimers for Catheter Utilization,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,WWW.COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Nina M. Lamba,,,,"Intravenous access is an essential part of successful therapy and comfort of hospital patients, nursing home residents and homebound patients. About 4% of homebound patients and over 100,000 nursing home residents require indwelling Foley Catheters. While catheters play an important part in medicine, their use is accompanied by the risk of catheter-associated infections (CAI). CAI is caused by pathogens adhering to the catheter surface, proliferating and producing a biofilm. In this program, Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) will develop a family of novel catheters containing non-leaching biocides. In Phase I CMS will demonstrate that these novel catheters are superior to existing catheters in their ability to reduce CAI and do not either leach into the body or cause immune complex activation. Specific tasks to demonstrate feasibility include fabrication of the novel catheters, demonstration of non-leaching catheter, in vitro and in vivo bactericidal activity, and preliminary engineering evaluation. Phase I feasibility will be demonstrated by showing superior performance to existing state of the art catheters and controls that do not contain the non-leaching biocide. Phase I focus will be on central venous catheters with peritoneal dialysis catheters being evaluated at a later time. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Development of non-leaching biocidal catheter will provide value in numerous catheter applications by avoiding infections. Applications include central venous catheters and peritoneal dialysis catheters. Catheter infection can be potentially life threatening and costly."
New DNA/RNA Sequencer for Rapid Assessment of Exposure to Infectious Agents,DAAD19-01-C-0059,DOD,CBD,SBIR,2001,1,69993.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Nina Lamba,Dir. of Biomedical Techno,3029997996,nlamba@compactmembrane.com,"The threat of terrorist or military attack using biological or chemical warfare agents is one of the largest concerns to U.S. military forces. Development of defense initiatives that can be implemented to decontaminate personnel, equipment and buildingsare required to counter the effects of such an attack. A series of dendrimer-quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) biocides have been identified that demonstrate potent antimicrobial activity against bacteria. These materials are more than 100 times moreeffective at killing E.coli than a comparable amount of free QAC. It is anticipated that these materials will be able to decontaminate chemical agents also.The goal of the proposed work is to develop these biocides for military defense applications. Materials will be synthesized, characterized and tested for antimicrobial activity. Optionally, we will explore the efficiency of these materials against chemicalagents. We expect these materials to be effective against warfare agents, but non-destructive to equipment, electronics etc. These materials can be applied as a powder, in solution, or immobilized onto polymers, enhancing utility in pre-event installationmeasures as well as post-event decontamination.Successful development of these materials would provide a broad spectrum agent for the neutralization and decontamination of biological and chemical warfare agents. These agents could be used both to protect personnel and installations in the event ofexposure, and as decontamination agents during clean-up. These materials are not expected to cause severe damage to materials of construction of buildings, equipment etc. The ability to use these materials in a number of forms will allow their use as airfilters, solutions, aerosols, garments, ointments, water purification etc. More broadly, compounds and materials displaying biocidal activity will have commercial applicability to private sectors where prevention of biofilms is desired, includinghealthcare,. Polymers containing these biocidal agents will have utility wherever prevention of bacterial adhesion and colonization is required, e.g. protective clothing, food preparation areas, medical devices, air filtration systems, waterlines, etc."
MTBE Removal from Drinking Water,68-D-01-014,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2001,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,,,,,"The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act mandated the incorporation of oxygenates into gasoline in ozone and carbon monoxide nonattainment areas. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is the oxygenate of choice due to economic and supply considerations. Despite federal and state programs to improve handling of gasoline and other fuels in pipelines, underground and above-ground storage tanks, and other transport modes, gasoline spills and leaks still are relatively commonplace. In addition, uncombusted gasoline is spilled from boats and recreational equipment directly to surface waters, which may serve as water supply reservoirs. The result is that MTBE is the second most frequently detected volatile organic compound in shallow groundwater (Squillace, et al., 1996), based on the National Water Quality Assessment Program. There is concern that MTBE can have deleterious health effects and may cause ecological damage. Studies indicate that if water supplies are not treated, a significant percentage of the population may be exposed to levels that can cause health effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently has proposed the removal of MTBE from fuels to help reduce the existing MTBE/water problem. However, new innovative treatment methods or techniques are required to improve the performance of existing drinking water treatment plants for removal of MTBE and other oxygenates. There is a need for innovative treatments in small, medium, and large water treatment plants. In most cases, these plants already exist, and a preferred solution is a retrofit into existing facilities."
Enhanced Membranes for Active Mixing Oxygenators,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,1,110000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Nina M. Lamba,,,,"Historically blood oxygenators for short-term by-pass surgery or newly developing long-term strategies use systems that are liquid side mass transfer, limited. Long-term therapies require non-porous coatings to limit blood oxygenator wet out. Design advances led to improved fluid dynamics which enhanced mass transfer. In these later systems membrane transport limitations now are major limitations. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) developed non-porous membranes for long-term blood oxygenation. This CMS first generation blood oxygenation technology produces membranes with 150 cc/min-m2 oxygen transport. With more compact second generation systems there is need for higher flux non-porous membranes. CMS has identified novel routes to improve membrane oxygen transport ten-fold. This improvement in oxygen transport should be sufficient to meet need of improved fluid dynamics second generation products. These new systems should also significantly improve fabrication economics. In Phase I CMS will develop membranes for blood oxygenation with a five-fold improvement in flux. These novel membranes will demonstrate improved fluid dynamics and significantly enhance overall system performance. Animal studies with detailed methodology are included in this program. Membrane integrity will be verified at the end of the tests. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: This technology will broadly enhance the capability for both long-term and short-term blood gas exchange. Therefore it should be of value for long-term treatments for ARDS, ECMO and artificial lung as well as conventional by-pass surgery."
Power Generation During Buoy Operations,N00014-01-M-0055,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2001,1,99633.00,"Elsicon, Inc.",Delaware Technology Park,"5 Innovation Way, Suite 100",Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,Shao-Tang Sun,President,3024782680,stsun@elsicon.com,Wayne Gibbons,Director of Operations,3024782680,wmgibbons@elsicon.com,"The success or failure of military operations increasingly depends on situation awareness. Critical to situation awareness is the knowledge of the precise position and heading of weaponry and personnel. There is a need for navigational systemsindependent of external sources and signals that would provide information about the position or movement of weaponry and personnel. Elsicon proposes a fully integrated Micro Sensor Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that can measure the linear accelerationand rotation of objects. The compact design makes the proposed Micro Sensor IMU rugged and robust for military applications. The integrated nature of the Micro Sensor IMU increases the potential for economical manufacturing. As a result, the MicroSensor IMU has potential in commercial applications.The compact, integrated, economical nature of the proposed Micro Sensor IMU makes it ideal for commercial applications. These devices are compact enough to be carried by individuals or incorporated intoany moving vehicle. As a result, applications abound in the areas of security and travel. The Micro Sensor IMU can be used in any navigation and guidance applications independent of the GPS system. However, the Micro Sensor is also synergistic with theGPS system and can increase the flexibility and reliability of navigation systems that use the GPS system."
IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA DIRECT FROM BLOOD CULTURE,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,1,0.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,3027374297,SASSER@MIDI-INC.COM,Myron Sasser,,,,"DESCRIPTION (Verbatim from Applicant's Abstract):Rapid identification of
bacteria direct from a blood culture bottle would speed up patient treatment
and recovery, thereby also greatly reducing hospital care costs. The current
procedure of subculturing typically takes from 24 to 48 hours to obtain
bacterial identifications. Gas chromatographic analysis of bacterial fatty
acids has promise as a rapid and inexpensive identification technique if the
system were more sensitive and if the impact of the blood fatty acids could be
minimized. Splitless injection, purification of the air supply, decreased data
rate collection and concentration of the sample provide an increase in
sensitivity of more than 1,600,000X. Lysis of blood cells by saponin or
detergents coupled with filtration greatly reduces contamination of the
bacterial fatty acids by blood components. New algorithms show promise for
reducing the impact of blood components and for naming the components of
polymicrobic cultures. A novel technique for rapid derivatization of fatty
acids shows promise of very rapid identification of the pathogens. As patient
care costs exceed $1,000 per day, the new technique could produce great health
care cost savings. Additionally, by allowing targeted treatment and decreased
recovery times, the technique should reduce patient suffering and aid in
reducing the number of nosocomial infections.
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION:
Not Available"
IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA DIRECT FROM BLOOD CULTURE,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,2,317465.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,3027374297,SASSER@MIDI-INC.COM,Myron Sasser,,,,"DESCRIPTION (Verbatim from Applicant's Abstract):Rapid identification of
bacteria direct from a blood culture bottle would speed up patient treatment
and recovery, thereby also greatly reducing hospital care costs. The current
procedure of subculturing typically takes from 24 to 48 hours to obtain
bacterial identifications. Gas chromatographic analysis of bacterial fatty
acids has promise as a rapid and inexpensive identification technique if the
system were more sensitive and if the impact of the blood fatty acids could be
minimized. Splitless injection, purification of the air supply, decreased data
rate collection and concentration of the sample provide an increase in
sensitivity of more than 1,600,000X. Lysis of blood cells by saponin or
detergents coupled with filtration greatly reduces contamination of the
bacterial fatty acids by blood components. New algorithms show promise for
reducing the impact of blood components and for naming the components of
polymicrobic cultures. A novel technique for rapid derivatization of fatty
acids shows promise of very rapid identification of the pathogens. As patient
care costs exceed $1,000 per day, the new technique could produce great health
care cost savings. Additionally, by allowing targeted treatment and decreased
recovery times, the technique should reduce patient suffering and aid in
reducing the number of nosocomial infections.
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION:
Not Available"
Nosocomial infections: Automated typing and data mining,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2001,1,97560.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,3027374297,SASSER@MIDI-INC.COM,Myron Sasser,,,,"DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nosocomial infections cause about 90,000
deaths annually in the U.S. and have an associated medical care cost of about
3.5 billion dollars. Despite being the fourth leading cause of death, there has
been limited development of rapid, integrated tools for determination of
outbreaks of hospital-acquired infections. The goal of the proposed research is
to test feasibility of development of software algorithms for identifying
clusters of bacteria involved in nosocomial infections. This will be
accomplished by creation of new algorithms for clustering bacterial fatty acid
composition data to detect infection clusters and through the creation of a
""data mining"" algorithm to provide patient demographic information needed to
distinguish nosocomial outbreaks from community-acquired infections or
pseudo-outbreaks. These software algorithms will be integrated into the MIDI
Sherlock Microbial Identification System as a fully automated real-time
epidemiology tool. Hospital infection-control personnel will be able to use the
output to immediately implement infection control measures, and thus to reduce
the impact of nosocomial infections.
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: NOT AVAILABLE"
Artificial Intelligence Hybrid Range Scheduler,F29601-01-C-0021,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2001,2,896145.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Irene Philips,Exec. Vice President,3028948020,ihp@leapworks.com,Tom Pelaia,Project Manager,3028948022,tap@leapworks.com,"Scheduling is a complex, NP-hard problem that challenges the use of any single solution technique. In Phase I, we built a model that uses our multi-technique Quantum Leap Problem Solving Engine to solve a representative but simplified version of the AirForce Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) contact scheduling problem. The system demonstrated that it could schedule the hundreds (500 to 600) of tasks per day required well within the expected time frame of a few hours for next-day scheduling. We arepresently creating a scheduling language and investigating new techniques for improving performance.In Phase II, we will create a Scheduling and Planning Framework (SPF) which builds upon the phase I proof of concept and incorporates the new performance improving techniques. We will build a scheduling system for the AFSCN problem that goes beyond thesimple proof of principle and solves the real scheduling problem. We will also solve the spacelift range asset scheduling problem. Both solutions will be built on the SPF using unique data input and output interfaces."
Artificial Intelligence Hybrid Range Scheduler,F29601-01-C-0021,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2001,1,0.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Irene Philips,Exec. Vice President,3028948020,ihp@leapworks.com,Tom Pelaia,Project Manager,3028948022,tap@leapworks.com,"Scheduling is a complex, NP-hard problem that challenges the use of any single solution technique. In Phase I, we built a model that uses our multi-technique Quantum Leap Problem Solving Engine to solve a representative but simplified version of the AirForce Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) contact scheduling problem. The system demonstrated that it could schedule the hundreds (500 to 600) of tasks per day required well within the expected time frame of a few hours for next-day scheduling. We arepresently creating a scheduling language and investigating new techniques for improving performance.In Phase II, we will create a Scheduling and Planning Framework (SPF) which builds upon the phase I proof of concept and incorporates the new performance improving techniques. We will build a scheduling system for the AFSCN problem that goes beyond thesimple proof of principle and solves the real scheduling problem. We will also solve the spacelift range asset scheduling problem. Both solutions will be built on the SPF using unique data input and output interfaces."
N/A,NAS1 00019,NASA,NASA,SBIR,2000,1,69270.00,Accudyne Systems Inc,210 Executive Dr,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Brian J. Waibel,Senior Partner,3023695390,bwaibel@accudynesys.com,Mark Gruber,Principal Investigtor,,accudyne@accudynesys.com,N/A
N/A,DE-FG02-00ER82953,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2000,1,99771.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Thomas J. Stiner,Senior VP,3023660400,stiner@astropower.com,Michael G. Mauk,Senior Scientist,3023660400,mauk@astropower.com,N/A
N/A,9960490,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,1,94538.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Thomas J. Stiner,,3023660400,mauk@astropower.com,Michael Mauk,,3023660400,,N/A
N/A,N00014-00-M-0154,DOD,NAVY,STTR,2000,1,69955.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Thomas J. Stiner,Senior VP &CFO,3023660400,stiner@astropower.com,Michael G. Mauk,Senior Research Engineer,3023660400,mauk@astropower.com,N/A
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"BERGER INSTRUMENTS, INC.",123-A SANDY DR,,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,3022668201,KKLEIN@BERGERSFC.COM,Terry Berger,,,,N/A
N/A,DE-FG02-99ER82763,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2000,1,0.00,Chesapeake Composites Corporation,239 Old Churchman's Road,,New Castle,DE,19720 0152,No,No,No,Alexander Brown,President,3023249110,brown@chesapeakecomposite.com,Eric M. Klier,Vice President,3023249110,klier@chesapeakecomposite.com,N/A
N/A,DE-FG02-99ER82763,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2000,2,748890.00,Chesapeake Composites Corporation,239 Old Churchman's Road,,New Castle,DE,19720 0152,No,No,No,Alexander Brown,President,3023249110,brown@chesapeakecomposite.com,Eric M. Klier,Vice President,3023249110,klier@chesapeakecomposite.com,N/A
N/A,00-33610-8941,USDA,USDA,SBIR,2000,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg,Grants Manager,3029997996,niester@compactmem,Stuart M. Nemser,,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,N/A
N/A,DE-FG02-00ER83132,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,President,,snemser@compactmembrane.com,N/A
N/A,DE-FG02-00ER82976,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Glenn Walker,President,9372528969,,Stuart Nemser,President,,snemser@compactmembrane.com,N/A
N/A,DE-FG02-00ER82977,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,John Bowser,Director of New Technology,,jbowser@compactmembrane.com,N/A
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,,,N/A
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart M. Nemser,,,,N/A
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,1,105095.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,,,N/A
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,1,105074.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,,,N/A
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart M. Nemser,,,,N/A
N/A,9960669,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,Grants Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,0078527,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Purushottam Shanbhag,,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,0078527,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,2,391656.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,Purushottam Shanbhag,,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,9983421,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,9983421,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,2,399500.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg-Lester,,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,9960671,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Nadine Cragg,Grants Manager,3029997996,nlester@compactmembrane.com,Stuart Nemser,,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,9960675,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart M. Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser1@compactmembrane.com,John Bowser,,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart M. Nemser,,,,N/A
N/A,68D00230,EPA,EPA,SBIR,2000,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,,Dr. Stuart M. Nemser,,,,"Not Available Makel Engineering Inc. proposes to develop a compact, rugged, smart sensor module capable of measuring multiple gas species and physical parameters. The sensor module will provide measurement of hydrogen, oxygen, ambient pressure, and temperature. This mu"
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,2,372370.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart M. Nemser,,,,N/A
N/A,0078470,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,1,0.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,John Bowser,,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,0078470,NSF,NSF,SBIR,2000,2,400000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Stuart Nemser,President,3029997996,snemser@compactmembrane.com,John Bowser,,3029997996,,N/A
Novel Perfluoro-coatings for Enhanced Fouling Release,N00014-99-C-0466,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,2000,2,597060.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,"Purushottam Shanbhag,Ph.D",,3029997996,,N/A
N/A,DE-FG02-00ER83027,DOE,DOE,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"Ion Power, Inc.",720 Governor Lea Road,,New Castle,DE,19720,No,No,No,Stephen A. Grot,President,3028329550,ionpower@delanet.com,Stephen A. Grot,President,3028329550,ionpower@delanet.com,N/A
Novel Lithography Stages Fabricated from High Performance Composite Materials,DAAH0100CR009,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,2000,2,750000.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,,,,,Michael Aghajanian,,3024548600,,N/A
N/A,F29601-00-C-0117,DOD,USAF,SBIR,2000,1,98309.00,"QUANTUM LEAP INNOVATIONS, INC.",3 Innovation Way,Suite 100,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,Irene H. Philips,EVP & GM,3027980899,ihp@leapworks.com,Thomas A. Pelaia,Modeling Project Manager,3027980899,tap@leapworks.com,N/A
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,2000,1,100000.00,"EOTEC, INC.","3 MILL RD, STE 201",,WILMINGTON,DE,19806,No,No,No,,,3026553390,,Bonnie S. Dansky,,,,"Not Available This SBIR project proposes to develop a fuel pulsing Lean Direct Injection (LDI) nozzle that reduces nozzle blowout equivalence ratio (phi) and reduces NOx emissions by 90% compared to ICAO 1996 standards. In contrast to high frequency (> 10,000 Hz), low"
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,2,846902.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,3026544492,,Saller charles f,,,,N/A
AN ULTRA HIGH THROUGHPUT SYSTEM FOR DRUG DISCOVERY,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,1,103007.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,3026544492,SASPORN@ABSBIO.COM,Sarah A. Sporn,,,,N/A
Solution Growth Adapted for Low-BandgapTernary and Quaternary III-V Alloy Bulk Crystals,99ML-378,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1999,1,98628.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael Mauk,,3023660400,,N/A
N/A,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1999,2,749249.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Mr. Thomas J. Stiner,Chief Financial Officer,3023660400,,Dr Michael G Mauk,Research Engineer,3023660400,,N/A
Mid-infrared avalanche photodiode arrays,NAS5 99019,NASA,NASA,SBIR,1999,1,69998.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Thomas J. Stiner,Vice President & CFO,3023660400,allen@astropower.com,Zane A. Shellenbarger,Product Development Manager,,zane@astropower.com,N/A
A Generic Approach to Improved Semi-Solid Forming of Metals,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1999,1,99102.00,Chesapeake Composites Corporation,239 Old Churchman's Road,,New Castle,DE,19720 0152,No,No,No,,,,,,,,,"Not Available The Navy has made applying Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technologies to the development of naval combat systems a critical priority. Under this new development paradigm, as combat system data processing components become obsolete or requirements grow, faster and less expensive COTS hardware can be rapidly introduced through technology refresh programs. Transportable Middleware (TM) provides the critical mechanism allowing complex military application software to be ported and scaled to new COTS platforms quickly. TM provides a layer of software that completely isolates the application software from the underlying hardware and operating systems. DSR proposes developing a processing architecture that will provide a pure Java interface into existing TM developed real-time systems. DSR will focus on the development of HMIs for embedded real-time systems in pure Java to ensure: (1) application portability, (2) the development of a pure Java interface into the existing publish-subscribe Transportable Middleware, and (3) the development of tools to verify that pure Java applications can inter-operate with the embedded processor regardless of the current processor, operating system, and Java Virtual Machine. Emphasis will be placed on the development of reusable objects (Java Beans) common to military applications, promoting code reuse, and fast and effective HMI development."
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,2,746275.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,,,3029997996,,N/A
Development of Stable Membrane-based Gas-LiguidContractors for SO2 Removal from Flue Gas,9861365,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1999,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Purushottam Shanbhag,,,,N/A
ENHANCED DISINFECTION OF FOOD HANDLING EQUIPMENT,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,1,101248.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,John J. Bowser,,,,"Not Available Ultra-Wideband (UWB) antennas for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been a challenge for some time, due to size and weight requirements. Such antennas can aid a number of missions in a cost-effective manner, including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Foliage Penetration (FOPEN), Ground Moving Target Indicators (GMTI) and Counter-Camouflage Concealment and Deception (CC&D). UAVs have been shown to be a cost-effective method of carrying out these missions, but without the right antennas, these missions may fall short of their goals. The antennas required for these missions must be effective over a broad bandwidth, and they can induce only minimal drag on the surface of the aircraft. The frequencies of interest extend as low as 25 MHz. It is at the low end of the band where size constraints are most challenging. Obtaining a good antenna pattern is a challenge unless the antenna is the same size as a wavelength. Impedance matching over a broad bandwidth is also a challenge, because electrically small antennas normally have a matching circuit that provides a good match only within a very narrow band. Another challenge lies in steering the beam electronically. To address these challenges, we propose developing a crossed linear dipole array along the bottom of the fuselage and wing that is flush with the aircraft surface. We will explore antennas that reach as low as 25 MHz, with a decade of bandwidth. Designs that introduce minimal drag will be considered. We will calculate the antenna pattern, and we will calculate impedance match and radiation efficiency. We will also consider how to design systems with two polarizations. Finally, we will explore the patterns available after steering the beam using phase shifters. During Phase I we will build and test a scale model of a candidate array element."
Chemically Resistant Gas Separation Perfluormembranes,9860367,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1999,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,John Browser,,,,N/A
ENHANCED KIDNEY DIALYSIS MEMBRANES,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Purushottam V. Shanbhag,,,,"Not Available Conducting Materials Corp. Proposes to support the antimalarial structure-based discovery efforts at Walter Reed Army Institure of Research, Division of Experimental Therapeutics. Specifically, serine hydroxymethyltransferase, an enzyme intimately linked to the metabolic functions of dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate syntheses, will be targeted with a new generation of antimalarial agents. In Phase I, malarial SHMT will be cloned, sequenced, and expressed in bacteria. The functional enzyme will be purified for testing against potential antimalarial agents. The catalytic activity of the enzyme will be tested against some simple variation of substrates to get an approximation of the binding preferences of the malarial SHMT. At the same time, and RNA combinatorial library (SELEX) will be established to probe at and compare the active sites of host versus parasite metabolic enzymes. For proof of principle, the RNA combinatorial system will first be applied to drug-sensitive malarial DHFR since this protein is known to bind certain antifolate 1,000 times more tightly than the host enzyme. It is expected that the SELEX system will be able to identify RNA molecules that mimic the binding properties of drugs such as pyrimethamine. Phase II will design biased combinatorial libraries of small molecules.BENEFITS:Successful outcome of phase I&II will lead to anti-malarial drug development which will overcome the problem of drug resistant malarial parasites. Such"
"HIGH PERMEABILITY, LONG WEAR CONTACT LENS MATERIALS",,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,WWW.COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Stuart M. Nemser,,,,"Not Available Essential elements of today's highly mobile military services are effective mobile and temporary shelters. Increasingly, there is a demand for large, easily deployed, temporary shelters for many aspects of military activities. Current shelters are generally not well insulated resulting in large heating and cooling environmental controls units (ECU's). These ECU's have large power requirements and are bulky and heavy reducing mobility and consequently the effectiveness of mobile military units. The poor insulation results in an increased thermal signature leaving the shelters vulnerable to detection and targeting. Further, the limited insulation results in internal thermal gradients within the structure and condensation further eroding the concept's usefulness. L'Garde proposes solutions to these insulation problems through a technology commonly used in space programs, multi-layer insulation (MLI). Incorporating multi-layer insulation into temporary structures will greatly enhance environmental thermal control while concurrently addressing the thermal signature reduction. L'Garde, with 27 years of experience in inflatable space structures, RV decoys and targets with prerequisite signatures over multiple spectral bands, is well qualified to conduct this effort. Our experience with thermal control of inflatable decoys and experience working with thin films and membranes can be directly applied to enhancing the thermal efficiency of temporary shelters. BENEFITS: The comm"
POROUS HYDROPHOBIC MEMBRANES FOR PATHOGEN REMOVAL,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,1,93324.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,SNEMSER@COMPACTMEMBRANE.COM,Purushottam V. Shanbhag,,,,"Not Available Portable shelters and tents used by the U.S. Army in field operations for maintenance of vehicles and aircraft, as hospitals, and as billeting for personnel have no built-in insulation capability and rely on huge environmental control units (ECU) to establish a reasonable working environment. During operational deployments, these ECUs create a logistic requirement that is burdensome to the Army. What if there was a way to insulate these temporary structures in such a way as to reduce or eliminate the need for ECUs? At the same time, the thermal signature of the temporary structure could be negated, hiding it from an enemy's target list. Infinite Materials & Products, Inc., (IMP) believes that a flexible ceramic insulation material developed under contract to-the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization can be spray applied to the inside and/or outside of existing temporary shelters and tents to thoroughly insulate them to all climatic conditions, automatically blocking any heat signature and any sound created by the activity inside. IMP's insulation acts as a thermal sealant for the component, which is a completely different approach to simply filling the dead air space between structural members. BENEFITS: Since the insulation is spray applied, it can be used to add insulation capability to any habitable structure or vehicle, including ground, air, and sea applications. In addition, the insulation will compete directly against fiberglass in cost, but have the thermal"
Novel Perfluoro-coatings for Enhanced Fouling Release,N982-1042,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1999,1,99900.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Purushottam Shanbhag Ph,,3029997996,,"Not Available Composite tubes for cryogenic cold-to-warm support structures with an isogrid structure will be developed that have lighter weight, lower thermal conductance, and equivalent compressive strength to those currently in use. Previous attempts to produce composite isogrid tubes, using the filament-winding process, have resulted in nonparallel and bent glass tows in the grid elements and considerable radial expansion (tow bending) at the grid nodes (intersections). Composite fabrication techniques will be emphasized to eliminate nonparallel glass tows in grid ribs and at nodes (intersections) and to minimize setup and winding costs. Several isogrid tube structures from two distinct glass/epoxy composite fabrication processes will be produced. Complete tubes having equivalent material cross-sectional areas will also be fabricated. Axial compression tests will be conducted for all produced types at room temperature and 77 K for comparison. Optimized isogrid structure and fabrication process will be assessed based on tube performance and fabrication cost."
Novel Fouling Resistant UF Membranes for Use in Separtion of Contaminants from Aqueous Wast Streams,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1999,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,,,,,"Not Available DSR proposes development of new innovative display formats that will facilitate multi-disciplinary and multi-sensor presentation of data in surface combatant combat systems. The results of this Phase I effort will provide prototype displays that efficiently present, manage, and evaluate high volume bearing-only, range-less information such as Electronic Warfare data. DSR will also develop displays that effectively present this bearing-only, range-less data with localized Combat System data that has bearing and range. The proposed display development process will be structured to ensure that operator requirements for access to data, display configuration, and system flexibility are addressed. Consideration will be given to the ability to overlay multiple data types (at the contact or data level) effectively and the presentation of logical guides to orient the operator to the scenario quickly. The effort will define automation tools to help operators manage and follow multiple data types on the display. The results of this Phase I effort will be directly applicable to COTS state-of-the-art implementation within an open system architecture framework. DSR's tools provide direct support for developing the Software Requirements Specification for implementation in Phase II."
Novel Lithography Stages Fabricated from High Performance Composite Materials,98SB20178,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1999,1,88980.00,"M CUBED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.",1 Tralee Industrial Park,,Newark,DE,-,No,No,No,,,,,Michael Aghajanian,,3024548600,,"Not Available Innovative device designs and novel growth and fabrication techniques will be investigated to provide a significant improvement in the operational characteristics of A1GaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTS). Three novel GaN-based HEMT structures based on the strain control of the heterostructure interface will be investigated for successful demonstration of high power HEMTs in this material system. Comparison between traditional impurity doping vs. piezoelectric doping for three different GaN based HEMT structures will be evaluated. Significant reduction of dislocation density in A1GaN/GaN heterostructures by employing novel techniques of lateral epitaxial overgrowth (LEO) will be investigated with respect to the device performance. The factors limiting performance of advanced A1GaN/GaN LEO-based will be analyzed for further optimization of the devices. III-Nitride based HEMT structures will be optimized to produce materials with improved mobility and uniformity over multiple substrates in a commercially GaN production reactor. Various means of exploiting the advantages of LEO, including the use of buried FET gates in the dielectric mask for novel electrical designs as well as improved thermal performance will be explored. A strategic pairing between Northrop Grumman and EMCORE Corporation will ensure both the technical and commercial success of the proposed work."
N/A,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,2,529855.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,3027374297,,Sasser myron,,,,N/A
IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA DIRECT FROM BLOOD CULTURE,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1999,1,94474.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,3027374297,SASSER@MIDI-INC.COM,Myron Sasser,,,,"Not Available There is a need for a fundamentally sound and experimentally validated methodology and software for life prediction for ceramic matrix composite (CMC) propulsion system components and attachments with environmental barrier coatings (EBCs). The present proposal is for a reserach and development project focused on developing the needed methodology would be implemented in a software package for use by design engineers. A mechanistic framework is proposed for developing the methodology which includes explicit consideration of damage mechanisms relevant to EB Coated CMCs. Phase I involves model development and preliminary validate of the methodology; mainly to assess the viability of a more comprehensive software development effort in Phase II. The proposed product is timely for IHPTET applications, and readily marketable to military and commercial aerospace industries and to land based gas turbine manufacturers. The development effort directly complements Air Force's ongoing activities in CMC components development for advanced jet engine and rocket propulsion systems."
Thin (<30 micron) Silicon-Film Solar Cells on Glass-Ceramic Substrates,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1998,1,75000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Mr. Thomas J. Stiner,Chief Financial Officer,3023660400,,Dr. Michael G. Mauk,Research Engineer,3023660400,,"50341-98-I
Thin ("
Non-Fouling Ultrafiltration Membranes,,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1998,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,0,,"Purushottam V. Shanbhag,",,3029997996,,"Ultrafiltration membranes offer great potential for compact, low cost clean-up of Navy surface ship graywater and blackwater. A major limitation of these ultrafiltration membranes is significant loss in flux with time associated with membrane fouling from proteins, polysaccharides, and other waste products. Backflushing can only be used to a limited extent. Chemical treatments are undesirous since they pollute. ompact Membrane Systems, Inc. has developed unique low surface energy perfluoropolymer coatings. These perfluoropolymer coatings appear to be a universal non-fouling surface showing enhanced resistance to biological fluids (blood, platelets, SF-21, Vero cells) and oils and, therefore, should greatly enhance the ultrafilters fouling resistance. These perfluorocoatings represent a universal approach to enhancing ultrafilter resistance in that we have successfully coated numerous ultrafilters (polysulfone, cellulose, esters, polypropylene, PVDF). Preliminary results indicate that coating of ultrafilters with CMS perfluoropolymers can significantly enhance fouling resistance with little change in bulk flow. By using these perfluoropolymer coatings, we will enhance fouling resistance without introduction of chemical pollutants. In Phase I, we will: (1) coat various ultrafilters with our perfluoropolymers, (2) perform controlled internal laboratory evaluation of enhanced fouling resistance, (3) in conjunction with DoD, perform pilot operation with preferred candidate graywater, and (4) perform economic analysis based on results from (2) and (3). Objectives of Phase I are to demonstrate stable ultrafiltration capability in excess of 20 liters per square meter per hour using high density waste streams (15-20 grams/liter) for over 1000 hours of operation."
Reduced NOx/Hydrocarbon Emissions via Oxygen Enriched Lean Burn Engines,,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1998,2,225000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,0,,"Lean burn spark engines are a promising technique to further reduce both NOx and hydrocarbon/carbon monoxide (HC/CO) engine emissions. Higher lean burn levels improve HC/CO oxidation while simultaneously reducing NOx formation. The NOx reduction is due to cooler flame temperatures. While the lean burn limit (beyond which combustion is poor) restricts further emission reductions, the use of oxygen enriched air (OEA) significantly extends the lean burn limit and further reduces emissions. To date, no compact supply of OEA has been available to extend the lean burn limit. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc., has developed high gas flux OEA membranes with 30 times the productivity of existing membranes. This allows compact portable OEA systems to extend automobile lean burn limits and further reduce NOx/HC/CO emissions. In Phase I, feasibility of the membranes will be demonstrated on a small (5-10 hp) engine. The goal of the project is a 40% reduction in NOx and a 15% reduction in HC emissions."
SBIR Phase I: Membrane Hydrogen Dissolution for Bioremediation of High Strength Nitrate Wa,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1998,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029998077,,Peter Plimmer,,3029997996,,N/A
ENHANCED OZONE DISINFECTION OF DENTAL UNIT WATERLINES,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1998,1,97993.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,0,,"Shanbhag, Purushottam V",,3029998083,,N/A
SBIR Phase I: Microporous Perfluoropolymers via Thermal Inversion Polymer Separation,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1998,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029998077,,Peter Plimmer,,3029997996,,N/A
An Ultrahigh Speed Demultiplexer for Optical Communication Systems,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1998,1,70930.00,"Elsicon, Inc.",Delaware Technology Park,"5 Innovation Way, Suite 100",Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,0,,Dr. Brian P. Mcginnis,,3024782680,,"Elsicon Incorporated proposes to develop an optical demultiplexer appropriate for use in high bandwidth fiber-optic communication systems. The demultiplexer will be capable of reducing an optical input bit stream with an aggregate bit rate of greater than 100 Gbits/sec down to a 1 Gbit/sec baseband rate. Therefore, by distributing the full serial data stream among an array of these devices, ultrahigh bandwidth data can be read in parallel using conventional electronics. The key to this demultiplexer will be Elsicon's innovative and proprietary optical switch design. This design will use readily available commercial components along with well-known concepts in linear and nonlinear optics to produce a device that functions as an ultrafast optical gate. We will fabricate a prototype optical demultiplexer based on low-cost commercially available components. The optical demultiplexer's response will be characterized for switching speed, on-off contrast, clock energy, throughput, and sensitivity. The results of this Phase I proposal will be used in Phase II to fabricate packaged demultiplexers ready for incorporation into optical communications systems."
Ovulation Prediction - A New Method for Lactating Bovine,,USDA,USDA,SBIR,1998,1,65000.00,"ORATECH, Inc.",P.O. Box 41,,Hockessin,DE,00000-0197,No,No,No,,,0,,Roush,Principal Investigator,0,,N/A
High Power Frequency Doubled Laser Diode Devices,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1997,1,56815.00,"Altos, Inc.",6 Pierson Drive,,Hockessin,DE,19707,No,No,No,,,,,Dr. N. Melikechi,,3027393983,,"This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I program will determine the practicality of increasing the second harmonic (SH) output of frequency doubling devices by at least 5 times current gutput powers. Altos has demonstrated in preliminary experiments have a 2 times to 3 times increase in SH output by creating thermal gradients across the waveguide structures used to frequency double the laser diodes. These preliminary results have been reproduced at different operating wavelengths and with different quality KTP waveguides. Altos will draw from its existing inventory of KTP waveguides to provide suitable samples for work under this program. Increasing the output power of frequency doubled laser diode devices to more than 10 mW will open up a broad range of applications, such as in data storage, medical diagnostics, and biological/chemical sensing. Although the blue/violet wavelengths of these devices are highly sought, the currently low power ranges limit the application potential."
RECEPTOR BINDING AND ENZYME ASSAYS USING BIOSOMES TM,GM57154-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1997,1,100000.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,3026544492,,"Saller, charles f",,0,,"The proposed research is aimed at developing a new molecular recognition technology for drug discovery. Stable liposome-based biosensors, called Biosomes TM, turn from blue to red in response to a specific molecular recognition event. The Biosomes can be functionalized with a specific receptor ligand or enzyme substrate so that they respond specifically to a particular receptor or enzyme. Our aim is to develop either a prototypic receptor binding or enzyme assay using the Biosome TM technology in high- throughput screening to detect potential drug leads. In Phase II, this technology will be expanded to additional receptor and enzyme assays of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. These assays will have the advantage of being rapid, homogeneous and non-radioactive. Specifically, we will examine stability and specificity of the Biosomes TM, optimize the assays to detect inhibitors, and determine reproducibility and reliability of the assays. This proposal will enable the development of a new technology which should contribute to the discovery of drugs for a broad range of diseases including psychiatric disorders, inflammatory diseases and cancer."
High Efficiency Floating Junction Gallium Arsenide Solar Cell,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1997,2,600000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael W. Dashiell,,3013660400,,"AstroPower proposes to develop a new ultra-thin gallium arsenide solar cell for space applications, that will result in significantly higher performance compared to conventional gallium arsenide and silicon solar cells. This design incorporates a ""floating"" junction on the front of the ultra-thin solar cell and a collecting junction at the back of the device. This design will significantly decrease minority carrier recombination compared to conventional GaAs heterostructure solar cells due to the active passivation effects associated with carrier injection from the front floating junction. A shallow front floating emitter coupled with an all back contact design that eliminates grid shading will significantly increase the spectral response. The result of the floating junction design will be a revolutionary increase in open circuit voltage and short circuit current. Fabrication costs will decrease when compared to conventional GaAs solar cells because a monolithic metallization sequence and a non-conducting reflector technology will eliminate processing steps associated with conventional solar cell processing. Light-trapping and an adhesiveness coverslide technology will be incorporated into the floating junction design to increase efficiency, durability and specific power. The specific power for this solar cell is projected to be 3621 W/kg for an AMO efficiency of 25%. This Phase I can lead to the deployment of high efficiency ultra-thin GaAs solar cells in the space environment. The proposed solar cell design can have a significant impact on the longevity, cost effectiveness and power generation capabilities of space power supplies. Dual use applications include solar cell concentrator arrays, detectors for solid state spectrometers, microwave devices and better heat dissipation for GaAs high-power IC chips and surface emitting laser arrays. Other applications include integrated logic components, LEDs, LED displays, flat screen display drivers, waveguides and related devices."
"AlGaAsSb/InGaAsSb on GaSb, Infrared, Separate Absorption and Multiplication, Avalanche Photodiodes",,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1997,2,294896.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Thomas A. Goodwin,,3023660400,,"AstroPower proposes to develop high performance, room temperature, mass-producible, low-cost infrared detectors using liquid-phase heteroepitaxy of lattice-matched InGaAsSb and AlGaAsSb on GaSb substrates. The structure of these detectors will be a Separate Absorption and Multiplication Avalanche Photodiode (SAM-APD). This structure has proven to be an effective means of producing large gain in the absence of large dark current. With proper composition InGaAsSb can be prepared with band gap adjustable in wavelength from 1.7 to 4.5 mm. The major advantage of using quaternary systems over binary and ternary compounds is the ability to vary the band gap while still providing lattice matched growth to the substrate material. Another expected advantage is that this detector structure will have good detectivity at room temperature while most commercially available detectors need cooling to liquid nitrogen temperatures. AstroPower has previous experience in the growth of these material systems. Liquid phase epitaxy has routinely provided quality III-V detectors and photovoltaic cells with the highest optical-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency, and has significant cost advantages over other forms of epitaxy. Feasibility of this approach will be demonstrated by the end of the Phase I program."
Thallium-Containing III-V Quaternary Compound Semiconductor for Use in Infrared Detection,DE-FG02-97ER82398,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1997,1,75000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Mr. Thomas J. Stiner,"V.P., Controller & Treasurer",3023660400,,Mr. Zane A. Shellenbarger,Research Engineer,3023660400,,"117
Thallium-Containing III-V Quaternary Compound Semiconductor for Use in Infrared Detection--AstroPower, Inc., Solar Park, Newark, DE 19716-2000; (302) 366-0400
Mr. Zane A. Shellenbarger, Principal Investigator
Mr. Thomas J. Stiner, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82398
Amount: $75,000
Long-wavelength-infrared detection is widely used in several fields, including astronomy, environmental monitoring, infrared cameras, military sensors, law enforcement, medical sensors, and pollution monitoring. This project will investigate the incorporation of thallium (Tl) into III-V quaternary compound semiconductors for use in LWIR detector applications covering the wavelength range of 8 to 12 ¿m. Mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) is currently most often used in this wavelength range. The proposed materials are expected to have several advantages over HgCdTe, including availability of lattice-matched substrates, better detector uniformity, better thermal stability, easier doping control, easier device processing, lower cost, and lower defect densities. The major goal of this project is to identify the optimum Tl-containing quaternary material and binary substrate combinations for LWIR detection. Liquid phase epitaxy will be used for the growth of these materials. During Phase I, the best candidate Tl-containing quaternary materials for LWIR detection will be identified using modeling and growth experiments. Fabrication and characterization of LWIR detectors in these best candidate materials will then be investigated. During Phase II, the best 1-2 Tl-containing quaternary materials for LWIR detection determined during Phase I will be further developed and optimized. Phase II will concentrate on improving the device performance and developing the manufacturing solutions required for the economic production of the large quantities of LWIR detectors and detector arrays.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: These new III-V detector materials will significantly improve the performance and cost of long wavelength infrared detectors and focal plane arrays. LWIR detection is widely used in several fields, including astronomy, environmental monitoring, infrared cameras, military sensors, law enforcement, medical sensors, and pollution monitoring."
Low-Defect GaN Surrogate Substrates by Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1997,1,60000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G. Mauk,,3023660400,,"We propose exploratory development of new epitaxial growth technologies for low-defect GiN epitaxial structures and surrogate substrates. A significant feature of our approach is epitaxial latval overgrowth for ""defect filtering."" We present arguments that such epitaxial lateral overgrowth will lead to GaN material of unprecedented quality with respect to defects, stress, and purity. In the Phase I program, three methods will be experimentally assessed for GaN lateral overgrowth: 1. vapor-phase epitaxy, 2. ""nitride conversion"", and 3. vapor-liquid-solid growth. Epitaxial lateral overgrowth will also be developed for new device structures that incorporate ""buried"" mirrors to form optical cavities, ""buried"" metal electrodes, and new methods for dielectric isolation. In a subsequent Phase II program, large-area (> 150 mm) GaN surrogate substrates and specific device applications (such as LEDs, UV detectors, and VCSELs) would be demonstrated. The proposed technology will provide low-cost, high-quality, large-area substrates, for GaN semiconductor device applications. New optoelectronic device structures, including high-efficiency blue LEDs, VCSELs, high-temperature electronic devices, and ultraviolet photodiodes will be developed."
GAINASSB AND INASSBP INFRARED DETECTORS,08.03-0400,NASA,NASA,SBIR,1997,2,559094.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Thomas J. Stiner,Vp/controller & Treasurer,323664,,Zane A. Shellenbarger,Research Engineer,0,,N/A
Solid-State Spectroradiometer,NAS 96-1,NASA,NASA,SBIR,1997,1,53000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,3023660400,,Zane A. Shellenbarger,PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER,0,,N/A
Remote Monitoring of I-31 Therapy Patients,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1997,1,49999.00,Aware Electronics Corp.,P.O. Box 4299,,Wilmington,DE,19807,No,No,No,,,,,,,0,,N/A
Improved Efficiency Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenators,"1 R43 HL52397-1,",HHS,HHS,SBIR,1997,2,749824.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,"Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is used for newborn infants with respiratory failure. Improvedlong term ECLS efficiency is desirable and would allow broader (children/adults/ cardiac support) andsafer use. Systems are based on microporous (hollow fiber) membranes or silicon non-porousmembranes. Microporous membranes have adequate initial performance but after 2-6 hours ""plasmaleakage"" clogs the pores and gas transport drops significantly. Silicone membranes are more stable butgas permeabilities are much lower. Also silicone is not workable. This leads to configurations withhigher priming volume and poor blood side flow and associated poor gas transport. We will developnovel high permeability perfluoropolymers into hollow fiber (HF) membranes with excellent oxygen andcarbon dioxide transport. Using thin film fabrication techniques demonstrated on related polymers wewill make HF modules with stable carbon dioxide and oxygen fluxes 20 times higher than silicone andsignificantly higher than demonstrated in non-porous ECLS operation. Phase I will demonstrate our abilityto fabricate high flux hollow fibers and project extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO)performance. In Phase II we will optimize performance, make larger HF modules, perform ECLS tests,and evaluate biocompatibility."
"The Miniature Inductive Adder, an All Solid-State Pulsed Power Modulator for HIF",DE-FG03-96ER82172,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1997,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. John R. Bayless,President,8187071131,,Dr. Craig P. Burkhart,Senior Physicist,8187071131,,"First Point Scientific November 8, 1996
40031
The potential of thermonuclear fusion as a source of abundant, low cost energy has long been recognized. As a fusion driver, a heavy-ion accelerator offers the advantages of efficient target coupling, high reliability, and long-standoff focusing. This project will develop a solid state pulse modulator, the Miniature Inductive Adder (MIA), capable of delivering high voltage output pulses to drive an induction accelerator cell. In Phase I, feasibility will be demonstrated by: (1) designing, constructing and experimentally optimizing a MIA test module, (2) assembling and testing a five-module MIA to demonstrate the fundamental characteristics of the Phase II device; and (3) developing the conceptual design for a prototype MIA modulator to be constructed ant demonstrated in Phase II. In Phase II, a full-scale MIA modulator for a heavy ion fusion recirculating induction accelerator will be developed and demonstrated.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: The solid-state pulsed power modulator should substantially improve the current state of the art in high power electrical pulse generation. Applications include both recirculating and linear induction accelerators, lasers, plasma discharges and microwave generators."
Long-Life Electrical Neutron Generator,DE-FG03-96ER82173,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1997,2,750000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. John R. Bayless,President,8187071131,,Dr. John R. Bayless,President,8187071131,,"40067 November 4, 1996
First Point Scientific
Advanced neutron-based sensors are required in support of treaties to enforce international non-proliferation and national security goals pertaining to weapons of mass destruction. Reliable, long-life sources of high energy neutrons are critically needed for use in these sensor systems. This project will develop a new type of solid-target, sealed neutron generator to meet the requirements for high neutron output (up to 1011 n/s at 14 MeV), low power consumption (3000 hours). Furthermore, the generator system, which can be battery operated and automatically controlled, will be portable, and it can be operated dc or pulsed. The generator concept will be demonstrated and optimized for two applications: (1) detection of chemical agents and explosives and (2) detection of nuclear material in large containers. Phase I will: (1) construct a proof-of-principle generator for operation at a 2.5 MeV neutron flux of 107 n/s; (2) experimentally demonstrate the predicted generator operating characteristics; and (3) develop the conceptual designs for two full-scale laboratory prototype generator systems, one for each application. In Phase II, these advanced neutron generator systems will be developed and demonstrated.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: Applications should include: (1) detection of explosives and chemical warfare agents; (2) detection of small quantities of nuclear material in 200-liter drums; (3) measurement of the nuclear material content in nuclear fuel components and nuclear waste; and (4) detection of land mines."
Perflouromembranes for Low Cost Oxygen Enrichment of Aquaculture,,DOC,DOC,SBIR,1997,2,199700.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Louis Himelreich,Principal Investigator,3024781263,,"Success in aquaculture depends heavily on delivery of oxygen to fish. Currently, liquid oxygen and on-site generation by pressure swing adsorption (PSA) are two methods for supplying oxygen to aquaculture. Both are costly and have absorption efficiency problems. Membrane contractors, paddle wheels, and porous pipes are used with limited success to enhance oxygen transport to aquaculture. We have developed novel perflouromembranes that are extremely efficient, and provide oxygen enrichment. Compact systems of these membranes would offer low cost, reliability, portability, and improved absorption efficiency. Portable oxygen delivery systems are valuable for reducing stress on fish during shipment. Currently, membrane systems are not compact or low cost. We propose developing hollow fiber thin film composite (HF-TFC) membrane systems to supply 26-32% of oxygen enriched air (OEA) with productivity 20-30 times existing membranes. Our perfluoropolymer HF-TFC will therefore provide the needed cost savings, reliability, and portability for oxygen delivery in aquaculture markets. Phase I will include fabrication of membrane modules plus comprehensive evaluation in pilot aquaculture systems. The non-porous nature and low surface energy should allow these perflouromembranes to be submerged in aquaculture with minimal fouling; resistance to steam sterilization and harsh chemicals allow for various cleaning methods if fouling is a problem."
NEW MEMBRANES FOR CARCINOGEN REMOVAL IN WATER TREATMENT,CA71477-01A1,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1997,1,100000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029841762,,"Nemser, stuart m",,0,,"Disinfection is a critical process step in potable water treatment. Chlorine is currently the most widely used, and least costly disinfectant. An unfortunate by-product of chlorine disinfection is the formation of carcinogenic trihalomethanes (THMs) when chlorine reacts with organics dissolved in water. A further disadvantage of chlorine is its inability to remove viruses. Ozone is a more powerful disinfectant that can destroy viruses, and whose use is well proven in water treatment. Its high cost, however, has severely limited its widespread use. This proposal will demonstrate that unique perfluoro -membranes have properties that enhance water ozonation. These membranes are nonporous and resist clogging, are chemically inert to ozone, and have 30 times the flux rate of other nonporous membranes. The postulated mechanism of ozone transfer from the membrane into water is such that it may bypass or minimize the normally rate limiting gas- liquid transfer step. If successful, development of much improved ozone injection devices would eliminate much of the cost disadvantage of ozone treatment and allow wider use of this intrinsically advantageous disinfectant, with an associated reduction in the incidence of cancer due to THMs. This technology would be equally useful for the final stage of wastewater treatment."
NONPOROUS PERFLUOROMEMBRANES FOR WOUND DRESSINGS,AR43711-01A2,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1997,1,99992.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,,"Plimmer, peter n",,0,,"Osteoporosis is a major worldwide public health problem with over 20 million individuals affected in the united states. Over 1.5 million fractures occur in the united states annually, resulting in 750,000 visits to the physician and long term hospitalization with a total impact to the health care system in excess of billion dollars. The current state-of-the-art in clinical diagnosis for Osteoporosis is bone density measurements which can be use neither to predict the onset of disease nor monitor the shot term effectiveness of therapy. At present, the only clinically useful diagnostic tolls for this purpose are microtitre plate immunoassays which are cumbersome to use and are available only in large clinical laboratories. Eyre and colleagues have identified and characterized the N- telopeptide cross-linking domain of type I collagen (NTx) as a highly specific marker for bone resorption. A microtitre plate immunoassay for this analyte has been commercialized by Ostex International, Inc., of Seattle, WA, and approved by the FDA. Metrika laboratories will develop the Digital Response NTx test which is a single-use, disposable, bone resorption assay based on the simultaneous measurement of the NTx bone specific marker and creatinine to yield a normalized quantitative result. The test device, which will be about the size of a credit card, will combine inexpensive microelectronics and dry reagent immunochemistry. This innovative test will be extremely simple to operate and will provide a digital display of results in a few minutes. The technology of Digital Response will benefit patients by providing a convenient and inexpensive method to monitor, at the point-of-care, the effectiveness of treatment to reduce accelerated bone loss in postmenopausal women. $ = TOTAL AWARD AMTS & NOT LIMITED TO PORTION OF PROJECT RELATED TO SUBJECT OF SEARCH SUBPROJECT $ = TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT DIVIDED BY NUMBER OF SUBPROJECTS SOURCE: CRISP FORMAT F FY 97 LAST UPDATE 04-07-98 1QUERY 1536 ID SEARCH 06/01/98 PAGE 105 --PROJECT NUMBER......1 R43 AR44146-01A1 INVESTIGATOR NAME/ADDRESS FY 97 SCHULDIES, JOHN J IRG/INTRAMURAL UNIT..ZRG4 INDUSTRIALL CERAMIC TECH INC AWARD AMOUNT......... $99,786 37 ENTERPRISE DR ANN ARBOR, MI 48103 PERFORMING ORGANIZATION: INDUSTRIAL CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY, INC. TITLE CERAMIC COMPOSITE RESEARCH FOR TOTAL JOINT ARTHROPLASTY NO ABSTRACT ON FILE $ = TOTAL AWARD AMTS & NOT LIMITED TO PORTION OF PROJECT RELATED TO SUBJECT OF SEARCH SUBPROJECT $ = TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT DIVIDED BY NUMBER OF SUBPROJECTS SOURCE: CRISP FORMAT F FY 97 LAST UPDATE 04-07-98 1QUERY 1536 ID SEARCH 06/01/98 PAGE 106 --PROJECT NUMBER......2 R44 AR44166-02 INVESTIGATOR NAME/ADDRESS FY 97 ANDREWS, STEFFEN IRG/INTRAMURAL UNIT..ZRG2 RVISION CORPORATON AWARD AMOUNT......... $503,758 190 EAST 9TH AVENUE STE 228 DENVER, CO 80203 PERFORMING ORGANIZATION: RVISION CORPORATION TITLE MULTIMEDIA EDUCATION FOR JOINT REPLACEMENT PATIENTS ABSTRACT: In Phase I of this SBIR research project, Revision demonstrated the ability to design, film, produce and pilot study the effectiveness of customized education and exercise videotapes for total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients. A library of 41 exercise and education segments narrated in both English and Spanish was built along with software to allow physicians to customize tapes for each patient's needs. In a pilot study, the customized types were evaluated with 19 THA patients. The study found tape patients had greater understanding or pre-op home preparation strategies, exercised more frequently, and had a shorter average length of hospital stay. Although the sample size is too small for generizability, the trend is encouraging and worthy of further study. In Phase II, Rvision will produce a comprehensive library of customizable video exercise and education segments for both THA and TKA (knee) patients. Additional refinements will be made to the software used for previewing segments and customization of tapes to the physicians' prescriptions. Phase II will conclude with a randomized trial of 500 TA ad TKA patients to assess the effectiveness of the customized tapes. Outcome variables include compliance with the exercise prescription, time to functionality, and cost of care."
Enhanced Ozone Treatment of Wastewater With Perfluoromembranes,68D70043,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1997,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,0,,"Ozone treatment of wastewater to destroy organic contaminants prior to discharge into the environment is an extremely effective advanced oxidation technology. To date the use of this powerful technology has been limited in part by the relatively high capital costs of an efficient ozone to water, gas-liquid, mass transfer system. Existing ozone injection devices must overcome the inherently low mass transfer rate of gas into liquid. This project will investigate enhanced transfer of ozone into water through novel perfluoropolymer membranes. These membranes have unique oxygen and ozone permeability properties, which should allow direct bubbleless transfer of ozone into water. Phase I of this project will focus on fabrication of small scale, less than 3 ft2, test membranes and demonstration of high efficiency, bubbleless transfer of ozone into clean and synthetic wastewater in the laboratory. Demonstration of fouling resistance also will be accomplished."
Reduced NOx/Hydrocarbon Emissions via Oxygen Enriched Lean Burn Engines,68D70021,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1997,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,0,,"Lean burn spark engines are a promising technique to further reduce both NOx and hydrocarbon/carbon monoxide (HC/CO) engine emissions. Higher lean burn levels improve HC/CO oxidation while simultaneously reducing NOx formation. The NOx reduction is due to cooler flame temperatures. While the lean burn limit (beyond which combustion is poor) restricts further emission reductions, the use of oxygen enriched air (OEA) significantly extends the lean burn limit and further reduces emissions. To date, no compact supply of OEA has been available to extend the lean burn limit. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc., has developed high gas flux OEA membranes with 30 times the productivity of existing membranes. This allows compact portable OEA systems to extend automobile lean burn limits and further reduce NOx/HC/CO emissions. In Phase I, feasibility of the membranes will be demonstrated on a small (5-10 hp) engine. The goal of the project is a 40% reduction in NOx and a 15% reduction in HC emissions."
Reduction of NOX from Diesel Engines Using Nitrogen Enriched Air,,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1997,2,224900.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3024783153,,,,0,,N/A
Lightweight Co2 Removal Via Stable Facilitated Transport Membranes,NAS 96-1,NASA,NASA,SBIR,1997,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3029997996,,Stuart Nemser,PRESIDENT,0,,N/A
Enhanced Fuel Cell Power with Oxygen Enriching Membranes,9461528,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1997,2,295000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,0,,N/A
Joining of Silicon Carbide for Fusion Applications,DE-FG02-97ER82414,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1997,1,75000.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,Mr. Marc S. Newkirk,President,3024566217,,Dr. Prashant Karandikar,,3024566328,,"194
Joining of Silicon Carbide for Fusion Applications--Lanxide Corporation, P.O. Box 6077, 1300 Marrows Road, Newark, DE 19714-6077; (302) 456-6217
Dr. David V. Miller, Principal Investigator
Mr. Marc S. Newkirk, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82414
Amount: $75,000
The Department of Energy has been funding the development of the generation of energy through controlled nuclear fusion. Future commercial fusion reactors can only be constructed when materials that are strong and tough at high temperatures are developed. These materials should not become excessively radioactive under the condition of intense neutron irradiation that will exist in these reactors. Silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide is a candidate composite material for this demanding application. As future reactors will be large, individual panels and components of these composites will have to be assembled and joined into complex structures. In this project, innovative methods for the joining of silicon carbide to these composite parts will be evaluated and demonstrated. Two joining approaches will be evaluated: First, a ¿pre-ceramic¿ polymer will be used as the ¿glue¿ to hold the parts together. Upon heating this novel polymer will itself transform into silicon carbide, thus yielding a strong joint at high temperatures. Second, chemical reactions involving molten metals will be used to obtain strong bonding between different components. In this second case, the resultant ¿adhesive¿ will also be silicon carbide. Phase I of this project will establish the engineering viability of both approaches. The mechanical strength of the joints will be measured at ambient and high temperatures. In Phase II, the methods for joining silicon carbide fusion reactor components will be further developed. Extensive analysis and reliability testing will be performed.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Numerous commercial industrial applications exist for fiber-reinforced composites that must be joined to themselves or other materials, including stationary high-temperature gas turbine engines, internal combustion engines, heat recovery systems, burners and combustors, waste incineration systems, separation and filtration equipment, refractories, and chemical process equipment."
RAPID INEXPENSIVE ASSAY FOR TB AND OTHER MYCOBACTERIA,AI41248-01,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1997,1,94964.00,"MIDI, INC.","MIDI, INC.",125 SANDY DR,NEWARK,DE,19713,No,No,No,,,3027374297,,"Sasser, myron",,0,,N/A
SBIR Phase I: Horizontally Polymerized Chromatographic Stationary Phases,9660590,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1997,1,75000.00,Separation Methods Tech,"2311 Ogletown Road, Unit D",,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,,Hafeez Fatunmbi,,0,,N/A
LOW-DEFECT SIC MATERIAL BY LIQUID-PHASE EPITAXIAL LATERAL OVERGROWTH,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1996,2,734497.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael Mauk,,3023660400,,"We propose a new epitaxial growth technology for low-defect SiC substrates based on metallic solution growth of SiC on silicon and SiC wafers. A significant feature of the our approach is the use of epitaxial lateral overgrowth for ""defect filtering."" In the Phase I proposal, we present arguments that the proposed technology will lead to SiC material of unprecedented quality with respect to defects and impurities. Improved crystal growth processes will also be possible using reduced growth temperatures, optimized melt compositions, nitrogen doping with ammonia precursors, and rare-earth impurity gettering. The proposed technology will also be developed for dielectric isolation and new device structures which incorporate ""buried"" metal mirrors and ""buried"" electrodes."
GaInAsSb Infrared Laser Diodes,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1996,2,675842.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G. Mauk,,3023660400,,"There is much need for lasers with emission wavelengths in the mid-infrared (2 to 5 microns) for applications that include molecular spectroscopy, environmental and atmospheric trace gas analysis, long haul fiber communications, laser surgery, and atmospheric free-space laser transmission. The Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow has reported double heterostructure GaInAsSb/GaAlAsSb lasers emitting at 300 K in the wide wavelength range of 1.8 to 2.4 microns. These devices were fabricated by liquid-phase epitaxy on GaSb substrates. They represent some of the longest emission wavelengths ever reported for uncooled semiconductor injection lasers. To our knowledge, neither this approach, nor similar work, is being pursued in the United States. We aim to apply our expertise in the liquid-phase epitaxy of GaSb-based materials to producing low-cost, high performance GaInAsSb/GaAlAsSb injection lasers. It is our objective to match and improve upon the work of the Russian group, in which case we would be the sole U.S. source for this type of mid-range wavelength semiconductor injection laser. Furthermore, we have developed proprietary epitaxy technologies, previously applied to AlGaAs optoelectronic devices, that should prove very advantageous for GaSb-based lasers, and in particular, for the realization of surface-emitting long-wavelength lasers. Production of low-cost, high-performance mid-infrared GaInAsSb lasers with applications to long-haul optical communications using fluoride fibers, trace gas analysis by molecular spectroscopy for environmental and atmospheric sensing, laser surgery, and atmospheric transmission of laser signals."
High Voltage GaAs Solar Cell for Linear Concentrator Arrays,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1996,1,60000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Margaret H. Hannon,,3023660400,,"AstroPower proposes to develop a new high voltage solar cell for photovoltaic linear concentrator arrays based on our thin GaAs solar cell and epitaxial lateral overgrowth technologies and applying lateral segment interconnection techniques. This solar cell design has several advantages which make it ideal for space concentrator systems. These are high system voltage (10 to 500 volts per cell), reliable low-cost interconnections, design flexibility, costs are independent of array voltage, and low power loss from shorts, opens, and impact damage. The low system current results in minimal I2R losses while the device design allows for minimal shading and resistance losses. This concentrator solar cell will incorporate the benefits of light trapping by growing the device active layers over a low-cost, simple, PECVD deposited silicon/silicon dioxide Bragg reflector. The projected power density is 5 kW/m2 for an AM0 efficiency of 26% at 1 5X. This solar cell design is capable of meeting the high voltage requirement of electric propulsion systems, without the complex stringing required by conventional solar cell designs. The proposed technology meets the requirements of linear concentrator arrays being developed such as SCARLET for the New Millenium Program and future BMDO satellites, but can be applied to any concentrator system."
"AlGaAsSb/InGaAsSb on GaSb, Infrared, Separate Absorption and Multiplication, Avalanche Photodiodes",,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1996,1,99998.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Thomas A. Goodwin,,3023660400,,N/A
GAINASSB AND INASSBP INFRARED DETECTORS,08.03-0400,NASA,NASA,SBIR,1996,1,70000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Thomas J. Stiner,Vp/controller & Treasurer,323664,,Zane A. Shellenbarger,Research Engineer,0,,N/A
Captioning Tools for Visual Access to Computer-Based Media,,ED,ED,SBIR,1996,2,250000.00,"Cap-media, Inc.","Route 5, Box 850B",,Felton,DE,19943,Yes,No,No,,,,,Christopher A. Mortenson,,0,,N/A
Portable Oxygen-Enriching Systems for Lung Disorders,"1 R43 HL51765-1,",HHS,HHS,SBIR,1996,2,735648.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,"Many lung disorder patients (cystic fibrosis, COPD) require supplemental oxygen. Studies showboth quality and length of life improves if these patients maintain active mobile lives. Their mobility islimited, since many need to stay near their supplemental oxygen source. Portable oxygen enriching air(OEA) membrane systems could provide the needed portability to improve these patients' lives. We willdevelop novel high permeability perfluoropolymers into hollow fiber thin film compostic (HF-TFC)membrane systems. These perfluoropolymers have excellent oxygen permeability, oxygen/nitrogenselectivity and thin film forming capability. Using techniques previously demonstrated on other glassypolymers, we will make HF-TFC with 20 times more flux than existing systems. Combining thesemodules with existing vacuum pumps and batteries, we can supply 5 liters/minute of OEA from an eightpound system. This OEA is humidified, which patients value. Phase I will demonstrate proof of HF-TFCconcept with 2 micron films. Phase II will focus on improving critical parameters and preparing a numberof expanded area modules with coating thicknesses of 0.1-0.5 microns for clinical trials."
ON BOARD OXYGEN GENERATING MEMBRANES FOR REDUCED START-UP EMISSIONS,,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1996,2,224900.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,2154998860,,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,0,,"Automobile three-way catalyst (TWC) are quite efficient at steady state operatingtemperature typically destroying 98% of incoming hydrocarbons (HCs) and carbonmonoxide (CO). However, up to 80% of emissions occur during the first fewminutes of Federal Test Procedure when the engine is running rich, the engine iscold and TWC has not reached light-off temperature. To significantly reduce HCsand CO emissions, methods to reduce start-up emissions must be found. Studiesshow oxygen enriched air (OEA) to engines significantly reduce HC and COemissions and leads to quicker heat-up of TWC. The studies also NOx levels canbe kept low. To date no compact means of supplying OEA has been identified.Compact Membrane Systems, Inc.'s high oxygen permeability membranes will supplycompact OEA systems to reduce start-up emissions. Their membrane system will be30 times smaller than existing products and a 0.13 cubic foot module will supply2000 cubic feet per hour of 26% OEA. Phase I will focus on building a prototypemodule for actual engine testing while Phase II will optimize both membrane andengine performance and evaluate long term testing."
SBIR Phase I: Super Thin Film/High Free Volume Composite Membranes,9560667,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1996,1,74686.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,0,,N/A
NOVEL GAS TRANSFER MEMBRANE FOR INTRAVENOUS OXYGENATOR,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1996,1,99898.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,,,3029997996,,N/A
Perflouromembranes for Low Cost Oxygen Enrichment of Aquaculture,,DOC,DOC,SBIR,1996,1,50000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Louis Himelreich,Principal Investigator,3024781263,,N/A
"The Miniature Inductive Adder, an All Solid-State Pulsed Power Modulator for HIF",DE-FG03-96ER82172,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1996,1,75000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. John R. Bayless,President,8187071131,,Dr. Craig P. Burkhart,Senior Physicist,8187071131,,N/A
Reduction of NOX from Diesel Engines Using Nitrogen Enriched Air,,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1996,1,70000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,3024783153,,,,0,,N/A
Long-Life Electrical Neutron Generator,DE-FG03-96ER82173,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1996,1,75000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. John R. Bayless,President,8187071131,,Dr. John R. Bayless,President,8187071131,,N/A
Innovative Lightweight Ceramic Rec-uperator Development For Gas Turbine Turboshaft Engines,,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1996,1,69849.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,Roger Matsumoto,,3024566503,,"Lanxide Corporation proposes to demonstrate innovative approaches for fabrication of thin wall ceramic sheet. The goal of this project is to make a low weight ceramic recuperator suitable for aero-engine applications. Lanxide will extend current processing techniques using commercial paper mill for forming continuous ceramic preform sheet with goal of reducing recuperator wall thickness from a current developed 0.035 inches (for future hybrid-electric vehicle usage) to 0.015 inches (necessary for flight applications). Reduction in recuperator element wall thickness is key to reduce weight allowing adaptation for aero-turbine engines. A recuperated aero-engine allows efficiency enhancements leading to significant cruise range improvement up to 60%. Design of the thin wall ceramic recuperator and its integration into the Teledyne Model 205-2 turboshaft aero-engine will be performed by Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical. For Phase I DuPont Lanxide Composites will assist Lanxide in hardware fabrication of a demonstration thin wall sector recuperator which will be tested at Teledyne for performance utility characteristics including efficiency, temperature and pressure."
Low Cost Fabrication of Large Silicon Carbide/Silicon Carbide Composite Structures,DE-FG02-95ER82008,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1996,2,750000.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,Dr. Christopher Kennedy,,3024566320,,David V. Miller,,0,,N/A
"Ultrapure, Low Acidity Silica Microspheroid Separations",,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1996,2,739660.00,"Rockland Technologies, Inc.",538 FIRST STATE BLVD,,Newport,DE,19804,No,No,No,,,,,Joseph J. Kirkland,,3026335889,,"Ultra-high-purity silica microspheres recently were introduced primarily for analytical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, these materials are expensive and are available only in limited configurations. The aim is to explore new methods for preparing strong, ultra-high-purity silica microspheres (or microspheroids) of lower cost in a variety of configurations (particle size, pore size, etc.) for various separation processes. The availability of these ultra-pure, less-acidic silica particles would permit superior separations of sensitive materials, particularly those of biological origins. Such particles also would produce higher separation yields with fewer problems than are associated with currently-available silicas. Porous silica microspheroids in the 2-20 mu m range are useful for analytical HPLC separations. Similar 10-50 mu m particles are well suited for preparative HPLC and as support media for high-performance solid-phase extraction and affinity chromatography. Methods also will be sought to prepare superficially porous microspheres to permit very fast separations of macromolecules with conventional HPLC apparatus, techniques and column-packing methods. The purpose of Phase I is to develop practical preparation methods to permit ultimate commercialization of the porous silica particles of this project."
SUPERFICIALLY-POROUS SILICA MICROSPHERES FOR FAST HPLC,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1996,1,99390.00,"Rockland Technologies, Inc.",538 FIRST STATE BLVD,,Newport,DE,19804,No,No,No,,,,,,,3026335889,,N/A
Nonradioactive Receptor Binding Assays,"1 R43 MH53461-01,",HHS,HHS,SBIR,1995,1,76286.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,,,Charles Saller,,30254,,"The use of biotin labeled ligands in receptor binding assays will be used as a substitute for radioHigh affinity biotinylated ligands are used in immunochemistry studies but are not generally employebinding experiments. Biotinylated ligands also have high affinities for the proteins avidin and streproteins can be coupled with various enzymes which catalyze spectrophotometric, fluorometric, or chedetection in microliter plates. Using standard receptor binding protocols, biotinylated ligands canappropriate receptor and possible competitors for the receptor. Free or receptor bound biotinylatedby binding to the avidin or st reptavidin enzyme conjugates. This mechanism makes it possible for onbiotinylated ligand to be responsible for the generation of many molecules of product, providing aninitial signal. Several strategies for selected receptor binding assays, utilizing biotinylated ligaassay format assays will be examined. The knowledge gained in these investigations should aid in theadditional high throughput nonradioactive receptor binding assays."
A LOW-LEAKAGE GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE PARTICLE DETECTOR,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1995,2,249986.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Sandra R. Collins,Principal Investigator,3023660400,,"EPITAXIAL GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE (GAP) WILL BE STUDIED AS A PROMISING NEW MATERIAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PARTICLE DETECTORS. DUE TO A HIGH INDIRECT BANDGAP AND EXCEPTIONAL CRYSTALLINE QUALITY, EPITAXIAL GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE DETECTORS WILL PROVIDE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE, HIGH-RADIATION ENVIRONMENTS. EXTREMELY LOW REVERSE SATURATION CURRENT AND GOOD SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIOS ARE EXPECTED FROM GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE DETECTORS. THIS PHASE I PROGRAM WILL APPLY A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO DEMONSTRATE THE CAPABILITIES OF EPITAXIAL GAP DETECTORS. A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF INTRINSIC AND COMPENSATED HIGH RESISTIVITY EPITAXIAL GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE LAYERS AND PN DETECTORS WILL BE PERFORMED. A NOVEL DEVICE DESIGN INTENDED TO EXTEND THE HIGH ENERGY COLLECTION EFFICIENCY OF AN EPITAXIAL PARTICLE DETECTOR WILL BE PROVEN. THE PHASE II PROGRAM WILL FURTHER DEVELOP AND OPTIMIZE THIS DEVICE AS WELL AS DEVELOP A TECHNOLOGY TO ECONOMICALLY PRODUCE MILLIMETER THICK EPITAXIAL LAYERS OF HIGH RESISTIVITY DETECTOR GRADE GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE."
ALL BACK CONTACT ULTRA-THIN GaAs SOLAR CELL WITH ZERO GRID OBSCURATION,,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1995,2,592035.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Margaret Hannon,,3023660400,,"AstroPower proposes to develop a lightweight, high performance, ultra-thin electrostatically bonded GaAs solar cell with an all back contact, zero-grid obscuration structure. The unique design incorporates light trapping, adhesiveless cover slide bonding, and eliminates grid shading. This innovation will increase efficiency and specific power due to the higer open circuit voltage and short circuit current obtainable from a properly designed thin device. The specific power for this novel solar cell is projected to be 3549 W/kg for an AMO efficiency of 24.5%. Thermal stability and tolerance to UV degradation are inherent to the thin device structure and electrostatically bonded 3-mil cover slide. Successful development of this technology will result in a revolutionary improvement in survivability performance, and manufacturability of lightweight GaAs solar cell products for future Earth-orbiting science and space exploration missions."
"High-Performance, Resonant Optical Cavity Light-Emitting Diodes",,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1995,1,60000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G. Mauk,,3023660400,,"The Phase I Project will develop a comprehensive model to evaluate and optimize state-of-the-art light-emitting diodes for optical memories, optical computing, and fiber or free-space photonic interconnects. The innovation is the development of resonant optical cavity LEDs and a proprietary low-cost epitaxy technology for their fabrication. A unified approach to the design of LEDs with resonant optical cavities will include photon emission, and photon coupling between surface plasmons and excitons. These features will greatly enhance the efficiency of LEDs and improve their function as fiber optic or free-space transmitters, closing the performance gap between LEDs and lasers. The proposed work will be applicable to AlGaAs (red), AlGaInP (green), GaN-based and ZnSe-based (blue), erbium-doped silicon (infrared) InGaAsSb (long wavelength) LEDs. The innovations of the Phase I work will provide a generic, very high-speed, light-emitting diode for optical computing as an optical source for photonic interconnects."
Embedded UV Combustion Sensor,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1995,2,464549.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Paul Sims,,3023660400,,"AstroPower proposes to develop gallium phosphide (GaP) ultraviolet (UV) sensors for engine combustion control. The UV spectra from the free radial combustion components correlates with combustion effectivity in terms of predetonation, and provides a real time basis for central control of excess air ratio, internal combustion temperatures, and other fuel injector parameters. A system for the engine and powertrain control using this sensing method is expected to provide a remarkable improvement in engine performance characteristics. These GaP UV combustion sensors have the advantages of low cost, high sensitivity to ultraviolet light, insensitivity to visible light, and excellent tolerance to high temperatures commonly encountered in internal combustion engine compartments. Detector diodes fabricated using liquid-phase epitaxy show excellent dark current and visible-blind performance; high bandgap GaP material leads to enhanced high-temperature operation up to 500-600 degrees C. The high material quality of GaP and the low-cost of device fabrication lead to significant economic advantages over other high bandgap candidates, such as silicon carbide. Anticipated Benefits/Potential Applications - The visible-blind gallium phosphide UV sensor with excellent high-temperature reliability would have numerous applications in astronomy, high-energy physics, medicine, chemical processing, and other optical analytcal measurement methods. Integration can lead to UV-sensitive CCD detector arrays, with tremendous potential for area-surveillance and safety monitoring. This technology, when fully developed, has large benefits where selectivity, reliability, speed, low-cost, and noise-immunity are required."
A New Approach to Large Area Silicon Carbide,9460081,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1995,1,65000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Zane Shellenbarger,,0,,N/A
High Efficiency Floating Junction Gallium Arsenide Solar Cell,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1995,1,60000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael W. Dashiell,,3013660400,,N/A
GaInAsSb Infrared Laser Diodes,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1995,1,60000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G. Mauk,,3023660400,,N/A
Thin-Silicon Solar Cells Optimized For Deep-Space Mission Requirements,09.12-0400,NASA,NASA,SBIR,1995,1,70000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Thomas J. Stiner,Controller & Treasurer,3023660400,,Paul E. Sims,Product Development Manager,0,,N/A
Gallium Phosphide Ultraviolet Diode Arrays,DE-FG02-95ER81929,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1995,1,75000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,Mr. Thomas J. Stiner,,3023660400,,Paul E. Sims,,0,,N/A
Captioning Tools for Visual Access to Computer-Based Media,,ED,ED,SBIR,1995,1,40000.00,"Cap-media, Inc.","Route 5, Box 850B",,Felton,DE,19943,Yes,No,No,,,,,Christopher A. Mortenson,,0,,N/A
Oxygen Enriching Membranes for Advanced Marine Internal Combustion Engines,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1995,2,370000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,"Computer and engine studies demonstrated a 100% increase in diesel engine power with the use of 31% oxygen enriched air (OEA) versus standard 21% oxygen air. Additional benefits from OEA include: (1) improved fuel efficiency, (2) compatible with lower grade (volatility) fuels, (3) reduced CO and hydrocarbon emissions, (4) enhanced lean burn capability, (5) smoother less noisy operation, (6) better and cleaner cold starts, and (7) reduced particulate emissions. The major limitation in using OEA for enhanced (diesel) engine performance is no compact OEA supply system exists today. Our high oxygen permeability perfluoropolymer membrances dramatically improve oxygen flux capability and will supply compact OEA membrane systems to support enhanced (diesel) engine performance. Engineering studies indicate our perflouromembrane system productivity is 30 times better than existing competition and membrane devices smaller than 0.25 cubic feet will supply all OEA (diesel) engine needs at full throttle. Phase I focuses on proof of proudct concept by developing the needed thin film composite membrane structure to demonstrate high flux. Phase II will focus on developing expanded area prototype membrane modules and running both actual engine tests and associated computer modeling studies. Anticipated Benefits: This project introduces compact OEA membranes for improved power, fuel efficiency and pollution control of engines. Although engines are our focus, other applications will follow. These include (1) OEA for health care, (2) OEA for improved burner efficiency, (3) VOC abatement, (4) nitrogen enriching air for inerting operations and (5) industrial oxygen and nitrogen uses."
Membrane Oxygenators for Enhancing Bioreactors,"1 R43 GM54385-01,",HHS,HHS,SBIR,1995,1,99900.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,30284,,"The investigators will develop a new class of perfluoropolymers with exceptionally high oxygen fluxmembranes for enhanced bioreactor performance. Propagation of animal cells for biopharmaceuticals iswidespread along with optimization of environmental constraints and procedures to increase bioreactooxygen availability limits bioreactor cell culture production. Sparging is the choice method to aerawith sensitive animal cells sparging can be counterproductive. Entertainment at liquid/gas interfacecells. Microporous hollow fibers to introduce oxygen also causes shear damage to animal cells. Animaattach to microporous fibers and impede gas transfer. The copolymer of perfluoro-dimethyl-dioxole (Ptetrafluoroethylene (TFE) display membrane permeabilities 40 times higher than conventional membranerubber). The PDD-TFE organophobic and hydrophobic surface should discourage cell surface attachmentinvestigators will make both hollow fiber and flat sheet oxygenator modules which will be evaluatedin bioreactors to determine their oxygen transfer rates, non-plugging characteristics and their abilhaving enhanced oxygen uptake rates."
Chemically Resistant Gas Separation Perfluoromembranes,DE-FG02-95ER81942,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1995,1,75000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,6104998860,,Stuart Nemser,,0,,N/A
Enhanced Fuel Cell Power with Oxygen Enriching Membranes,9461528,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1995,1,65000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,0,,N/A
ON BOARD OXYGEN GENERATING MEMBRANES FOR REDUCED START-UP EMISSIONS,,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1995,1,64900.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,2154998860,,Dr. Stuart Nemser,,0,,N/A
Development of Metal-to-SiCf/Al2O3 Composite Brazing Methods for Turbine Engine Components,,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,1995,2,599965.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,Dr. Ali S. Fareed,,3024566270,,"Lanxide Corporation proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing the active brazing method to join a Nicalon TM fiber reinforced alumina matrix composite to structural alloys for applications i advanced turbine engines. The high temperature capability of the ceramic matrix composite allows uncooled operation of several turbine engine components resulting in significant gains in specific fuel consumption. This improvement will make turbine engines more performance competitive relative to piston and rotary engines. Lanxide, using composite manufacturer DuPont Lanxide Composites and turbine engine manufacturer Textron Lycoming as subcontractors, will use creative and innovative approaches to extend current active brazing technology to specifically defined turbine engine requirements. The technical approach will include microstructural characterization of several candidate brazing systems, and fabrication of tube-to-tube joints. In a Phase II preparatory effort, CMC-to-alloy joint samples representing component subelements will be fabricated and unergo more rigorous testing at Textron Lycoming's facilities to evaluate technical progress."
Low Cost Fabrication of Large Silicon Carbide/Silicon Carbide Composite Structures,DE-FG02-95ER82008,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1995,1,74966.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,Dr. Christopher Kennedy,,3024566320,,David V. Miller,,0,,N/A
"Laminated, Stackable Ceramic Composite Armors",,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1995,2,150000.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,,,0,,N/A
"Monolithically Interconnected, Thin Silicon Solar Cell Array",,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1994,2,648000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Jeffrey E. Cotter,,3023660400,,"ASTROPOWER PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH EFFICIENCY, MONOLITHICALLY INTERCONNECTED THIN SILICON SOLAR CELL ARRAY. THE ARRAY INCORPORATES AN INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE TO ACHIEVE ELECTRICAL ISOLATION AND INTERCONNECTION OF THE ARRAY ELEMENTS. A MONOLITHICALLY INTERCONNECTED ARRAY TECHNOLOGY OFFERS REDUCED COST AND COMPLEXITY AS WELL AS INCREASED RELIABILITY AND YIELD COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL SOLAR CELL ARRAY INTERCONNECTION TECHNOLOGIES. THE PROPOSED DEVICE WILL INCORPORATE MANY HIGH PERFORMANCE FEATURES TO ENHANCE ARRAY EFFICIENCY. THE ARRAY ELEMENTS WILL BE ELECTROSTATICALLY BONDED TO A THERMALLY MATCHED GLASS SUPERSTRATE AND CHEMICALLY THINNED, RESULTING IN A LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH SPECIFIC POWER ARRAY. FRONT AND BACK SURFACE PASSIVATION AND LIGHT TRAPPING WILL BE INCORPORATED TO ENHANCE THE ARRAY EFFICENCY. THE PHASE I PROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON THE DEMONSTRATION OF A LIGHTWEIGHT SILICON SOLAR CELL ARRAY USING MONOLITHICALLY INTERCONNCECTED ELEMENTS. THE GOAL WILL BE TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS PROCESS BY FABRICATING A SERIES CONNECTED (5-10 VOLTS), 25CM2, 18% EFFICIENT, SOLAR CELL ARRAY."
"High Quantum Efficiency, Low-noise, Radiation-tolerant AlGaP CCD-UV",,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1994,1,74994.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Louis Dinetta,,3023660400,,"ASTROPOWER PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A NEW FRONT-ILLUMINATED, ALUMINUM GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE (AlGaP) BASED, CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICE (CCD), ULTRAVIOLET (UV) IMAGING ARRAY. THIS NOVEL ARRAY TECHNOLOGY HAS NEVER BEEN SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED. THREE NEW INNOVATIONS WILL BE NECESSARY TO ACOMPLISH THE AlGaP CCD. THESE ARE: AlGaP MATERIAL QUALITY WHICH CAN SUPPORT A CCD DEVICE; THE GROWTH OF A NATIVE OXIDE ON THE AlGaP; AND THE USE OF A TRANSPARENT GATE ELECTRODE. IT WILL COMBINE THE KEY FEATURES OF THE HIGH BANDGAP AND EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY OF EPITAXIAL AlGaP WITH THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED INNOVATIONS. THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN IS SHOWN IN FIGURE 1. A UNIQUE PLANAR FABRICATION PROCESS BASED ON DEVICE-QUALITY NATIVE OXIDES GROWN ON HIGH Al-COMPPOSITION AlGaP LAYERS WILL BE DEVELOPED. ASTROPOWER'S PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH LIQUID PHASE EPITAXIAL GROWTH AND FABRICATION OF HIGH QUALITY GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE DEVICES WILL BE USED TO APPLY THE AlGaP INNOVATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERIOR UV-CCD DEVICES. THE PROPOSED ARRAY WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF SPACE MISSIONS FOR NON-SILICON, HIGH-QUANTUM EFFICIENCY, LOW-NOISE, RADIATION-TOLERANT IMAGING ARRAYS FOR THE ULTRAVIOLET REGIONS OF THE SPECTRUM."
HIGH SPEED SHEET GROWTH OF THIN SILICON,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1994,1,75000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Jeffry E Cotter,,3023660400,,"A NOVEL SILICON DEPOSITION PROCESS CAPABLE OF DEPOSITING HIGH QUALITY THIN-FILM SILICON LAYERS ON LOW COST SUPPORTING SUBSTRATES WILL BE INVESTIGATED IN PHASE I. THE SUBSTRATE WILL INCLUDE A REFLECTOR FOR LIGHT TRAPPING. THE PLANNED DEPOSITION PROCESS WILL ALLOW THE FORMATION OF SILICON LAYERS 20 TO 30 MICRONS THICK, OPTIMIZING THE PERFORMANCE OF CRYSTALLINE SILICON AS A SOLAR CELL MATERIAL. THIS NEW METHOD OF DEPOSITING THIN SILICON LAYERS IS BASED ON AN EXTENSION OF EXISTING WELL DEVELOPED METALLURGICAL PROCESSES. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE TO DEVELOP THE DEPOSITION PROCESS TO PRODUCE 20 TO 30 MICRON THICK LAYERS OF SILICON CONTINUOUSLY. THE ADVANTAGES OF SUCH A PROCESS WILL INCLUDE (1) HIGH DEPOSITION RATES (UP TO 100 TIMES HIGHER THAN CONVENTION CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION), (2) CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION, (3) HIGH PURITY, AND (4) LOW COST. AS-DEPOSITED FILMS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR EFFICIENCY POTENTIAL."
MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED BICOLOR EDGE EMITTER-DETECTOR PAIRS FOR WAVELENGTH-DIVISION MULTIPLEXING,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1994,1,65000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Margaret H Hannon,,3023660400,,"INVESTIGATORS ARE DEVELOPING MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED BICOLOR EDGE EMITTER-DETECTOR PAIRS FOR WAVELENGTH-DIVISION MULTIPLEXING IN FIBER OPTIC COMMUNICATIONS. THIS DEVICE UTILIZES LATERALLY GRADED A1XGA1-XAS LAYERS FORMED BY LIQUID PHASE EPITAXIAL DEPOSITION ONTO A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING SUBSTRATE. MULTIPLE LIGHT EMITTING DIODES AND DETECTORS CAN BE COLINEARLY INTEGRATED IN THE SAME DEVICE TO EMIT/DETECT LIGHT OF DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS. THE A1GAAS SYSTEM ALLOWS FOR COMPOSITION CONTROL SO THAT AN ARRAY OF DEVICES SENSITIVE TO DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS CAN BE FABRICATED ON THE LATERALLY GRADED STRUCTURE. THE PROJECT EXPLORES THE LIMITS OF THE MOVING SUBSTRATE TECHNIQUE IN FORMING LATERALLY GRADED LAYERS. THE OPTOELECTRONIC INTEGRATED CIRCUIT IS BEING DESIGNED FOR OPTIMUM EMISSION AND DETECTION CAPABILITIES. RESEARCHERS HAVE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH THE DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LEDS AND DETECTORS AS WELL AS WITH LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY-ALL OF WHICH WILL HAVE A STRONG IMPACT ON THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM."
"LOS COST, HIGH PURITY SILICON BY ALKALINE GLYCOLIC DIGESTION OF SILICA",,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1994,1,75000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,"THE SOLAR CELL APPLICATION OF CRYSTALLINE SILICON THIN-FILM, PHOTOCOLTAIC (PV) TECHNOLOGIES IS CURRENTLY LIMITED BY THE HIGH COST OF THE SILICON RAW MATERIAL. THIS IS A RESULT OF THE CARBOTHERMAL REDUCTION METALLURGICAL PROCESS USED TO CREATE THE SEMICONDUCTOR-GRADE SILICON FROM SILICA. THERE IS A NOVEL ALTERNATIVE ORGANOSILICON CHEMISTRY, BASED ON ALKALINE GLYCOLIC DIGESTION OF SILICA, THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE THE ENERGY-INTENSIVE, COSTLY CARBOTHERMAL REDUCTION. THE PHASE I PROJECT INVESTIGAGTES THE FEASBILITY OF THIS CHEMISTRY TO CREATE A HIGH PURITY SILICON RAW MATERIAL BY IDENTIFIYING APPROPRIATE NUCLEOPHILES TO EFFECT A ONE- OR TWO-STEP REDUCTION OF THE GLYCOLIC DIGESTION PRODUCT, AND BY IDENTIFYING PURIFICATION OPERATIONS ON PRECURSOR INTERMEDIATES. THIS PHASE CONCLUDES WITH A FEASIBILITY AND ECONOMICS STUDY FOR A PILOT-PLANT FACILITY. THE COST OF SILICON SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS IS LARGELY AFFECTED BY THE COST OF THE SILICON RAW MATERIAL. IF THE SILICON RAW MATERIAL CAN BE REDUCED FROM ITS CURRENT LEVEL OF $10 TO $15 PER KILOGRAM (BASED ON SCRAP SILICON FALL-OUT FROM THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY) TO $1 TO $2 PER KILOGRAM, A $3 PER PEAK WATT SOLAR CELL WOULD ACCORDINGLY DROP IN COST TO LESS THAN $1 PER PEAK WATT. AS THE CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELL INDUSTRY GROWS INTO THE 10'S OF MEGAWATTS, THE DEMAND WILL EXCEED THE SUPPLY AVAILABLE FROM THE ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY, AND THE PRICE FOR THE SILICON RAW MATERIAL WILL INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY. FURTHERMORE, AS THE PV INDUSTRY REACHES 1 GIGAWATT BY THE YEAR 2000, IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO OBTAIN PURE SILICON FALL-OUT FROM THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY, WHOSE TOTAL USE OF SILICON RAW MATERIAL WAS EQUIVALENT TO ONLY 120 MEGAWATTS IN 1992. THIS NEW AND INNOVATIVE SUPPLY OF LOW-COST, HIGH-QUALITY SILICON CAN MEET THE GROWTH AND DEMAND OF THE CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELL INDUSTRY."
InAsSb/GaSb Infrared Light-Emitting Diodes (LED's),,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1994,1,60000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B. Mcneely,,3023660400,,"AstroPower proposes to develop intense, mass-producible, low-cost 4 to 5 micron light-emitting diodes (LED's) using liquid-phase heteroepitaxy of lattice-matched InAsSb on GaSb substrates. The brightest visible LEDs (Ultrabrights) currently available are being produced commercially by the liquid phase heteroepitaxy process using materials with bandgaps in the appropriate visible range for the particular color desired and with matched lattice parameters. Liquid phase epitaxy has routinely provided quality LED and laser devices with the highest electrical-to-optical energy conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the optical design of the proposed IR LED is expected to be enhanced by special reflector and optical design considerations currently under development at AstroPower. This program will produce long life light sources of high solid-state quality -- quality not subject to the poor reliability and fragility of incandescent bulbs. Feasibility of this approach will be domonstrated by deliverable hardware by the end of the Phase I program."
Embedded UV Combustion Sensor,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1994,1,93982.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Paul Sims,,3023660400,,N/A
LOW-DEFECT SIC MATERIAL BY LIQUID-PHASE EPITAXIAL LATERAL OVERGROWTH,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1994,1,60000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael Mauk,,3023660400,,N/A
ALL BACK CONTACT ULTRA-THIN GaAs SOLAR CELL WITH ZERO GRID OBSCURATION,,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1994,1,75957.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Margaret Hannon,,3023660400,,N/A
A SUPERPLASTIC OXIDE DISPERSION STRENGTHENED MAGNESIUM ALLOY FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1994,1,74350.00,Chesapeake Composites Corporation,239 Old Churchman's Road,,New Castle,DE,19720 0152,No,No,No,,,,,Mr Eric M Klier,,3023249110,,"REDUCTION OF AUTOMOBILE WEIGHT IS AN IMPORTANT APPROACH TO REDUCING FUEL CONSUMPTION. MAGNESIUM ALLOYS WOULD OFFER THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT REDUCTIONS IF THEY WERE MORE READILY FORMED AND THEIR STIFFNESS COULD BE INCREASED. HIGH STRAIN RATE SUPERPLASTIC FORMING OFFERS A COST EFFECTIVE ROUTE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS. HOWEVER, TO BE SUPERPLASTIC, MAGNESIUM ALLOYS MUST POSSESS A UNIQUE SET OF MICROSTRUCTURAL FEATURES. MAGNESIUM ALLOY SYSTEMS WHICH POSSESS SUCH MICROSTRUCTURES ARE NOT READILY AVAILABLE. RECENTLY A NEW CLASS OF LOW COST, CORROSION RESISTANT, OXIDE DISPERSION STRENGTHENED (ODS) MAGNESIUM ALLOYS HAVE BEEN SYNTHESIZED BY A NOVEL LIQUID METAL PROCESS. THESE MATERIALS MEET THE MICROSTRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SUPERPLASTICITY AND BASED ON PREVIOUS RESEARCH, SHOULD BE SUPERPLASTIC AT STRAIN RATES CONSISTENT WITH CONVENTIONAL FORMING PROCESSES (10(0) TO 10 1/S). THESE ODS ALLOYS ALSO OFFER A 45 TO 190% INCREASE IN STIFFNESS COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL MAGNESIUM ALLOYS. DURING PHASE I, ODS MAGNESIUM ALLOYS WILL BE PRODUCED, EXTRUDED, AND TENSILE TESTED AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES AND A VARIETY OF STRAIN RATES TO DETERMINE IF THEY ARE INDEED SUPERPLASTIC."
REMOVAL OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM GASEOUS EFFLUENT STREAMS BY NOVEL PERFLUOROMEMBRANES,,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1994,2,165000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Dr Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,"VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND (VOC) EFFLUENT STREAMS ARE A SERIOUS AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM. CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FOR VOCS HAVE BEEN OXIDATION OR CARBON ABSORPTION BUT RECENTLY MEMRANES HAVE SHOWN EFFECTIVENESS. PRESENT MEMBRANE PROCESSES WORK BY PREFERENTIALLY PASSING VOCS (VERSUS AIR) THROUGH THE MEMBRANE AND THEN COMPRESSING AND CONDENSING OUT DOWNSTREAM VOCS. ADVANTAGES OF THIS MEMBRANE PROCESS INCLUDE SIMPLICITY, CONTINUOUS OPERATION, EXCELLENT SMALL VOLUME ECONOMICS, AND COMPACTNESS. KEY LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING MEMBRANE PROCESSES INCLUDE (1) EXCESS COSTS FROM EXTRA PUMPING STAGES WHENEVER VOCS PERMEATE THE MEMBRANE AND (2) HIGH DESIGN COSTS SINCE MEMBRANE-VOC INTERACTIONS MUST BE STUDIED IN EACH CASE. COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC., PROPOSES DEVELOPING A NOVEL FAMILY OF PERFLUOROPOLYMER MEMBRANES HAVING HIGH AIR PERMEABILITY, LOW VOC PERMEABILITY, AND CHEMICAL INERTNESS. THESE PERFLUORO-POLYMER MEMBRANES SHOULD GIVE (1) REDUCED CAPITAL AND OPERATING COSTS DUE TO STAGING EFFICIENCIES SINCE VOC STAYS ON HIGH PRESSURE SIDE OF MEMBRANE AND (2) LOW COST STANDARDIZED UNIVERSAL DESIGN SINCE PERFORMANCE IS BASED PRIMARILY ON KNOWN AIR PERMEABILITIES VERSUS VARIABLE VOC PERMEABILITIES. THEREFORE, DEVELOPING THESE FLUOROPOLYMER MEMBRANES WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE VOC RECOVERY COSTS."
Oxygen Enriching Membranes for Advanced Marine Internal Combustion Engines,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1994,1,86744.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,N/A
Portable Oxygen-Enriching Systems for Lung Disorders,"1 R43 HL51765-1,",HHS,HHS,SBIR,1994,1,74851.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,N/A
Improved Efficiency Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenators,"1 R43 HL52397-1,",HHS,HHS,SBIR,1994,1,73600.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,N/A
AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH FOR THE FORMATION OF SILICON CARBIDE/SILICON CARBIDE COMPOSITES,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1994,2,599952.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,Dr William B Johnson,,3024566216,,"AN INNOVATIVE ALTERNATIVE FOR PREPARING SILICON CARBIDE (SIC)/SIC COMPOSITES INVOLVES THE DIMOX(TM) DIRECTED METAL OXIDATION APPROACH TO FORM A SIC MATRIX. IN THE DIRECTED METAL OXIDATION PROCESS A MOLTEN METAL IS OXIDIZED TO GROW AN OXIDATION REACTION PRODUCT INTO AN ADJACENT PREFORM OF REINFORCEMENT MATERIAL. ALTHOUGH THIS PROCESS IS CURRENTLY HIGHLY DEVELOPED FOR ALUMINIUM OXIDE MATRIX MATERIALS, THE PROPOSED EXTENSION TO THE SIC MATRIX COMPOSITE SYSTEM IS NEW AND ORIGINAL. A CARBON-BEARING GAS WILL BE USED AS THE REACTION GAS WITH MOLTEN SILICON (SI) TO GROW TO A SIC CERAMIC MATRIX. THIS GAS MUST NOT DECOMPOSE AT THE REACTION TEMPERATURE, AND MUST REACT WITH MOLTEN SI TO FORM SIC. ONE SUCH CLASS OF GASES, CURRENTLY CONSIDERED PROPRIETARY, HAS BEEN TENTATIVELY IDENTIFIED. PHASE I WILL INCLUDE A COMPLETE SURVEY OF APPROPRIATE, COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CARBON-BEARING GASES TO IDENTIFY THE MOST PROMISING ALTERNATIVES FROM BOTH THERMODYNAMIC STABILITY AND COST VIEWPOINTS. THE GAS SHOWING THE BEST COMBINATION OF HIGH STABILITY, LOW COST, AND FEWEST UNDESIREABLE REACTION PRODUCTS WILL BE USED AS THE ""OXIDANT"" TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF FORMING SIC FROM MOLTEN SI BOTH IN THE PRESENCE AND IN ABSENCE OF A SIC PARTICULATE REINFORCEMENT PHASE. THE PRODUCTS WILL BE EVALUATED USING WEIGHT CHANGE FROM THE REACTION, VISUAL OBSERVATION, X-RAY DIFFRACTION, AND OPTICAL AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF MOUNTED CROSS-SECTIONS. THE PROJECT OFFERS THE POTENTIAL OF PROVIDING INEXPENSIVE, DENSE, REINFORCED COMPOSITES, AND SHOULD ALLOW FOR THE FABRICATION OF LOW COST COMPLEX COMPONENTS WITH DESIRABLE PROPERTIES."
Interlaminar shear strength enhancements for cost-effective 2-D fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites,,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,1994,1,69663.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,Dr. Ali S Fareed,,3024566270,,"The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate innovative methods for improving the interlaminar shear strength of 2-D fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites. This would yield cost-effective, load bearing, structural components for turbine engine applications. Continuous and chopped ceramic fibers, respectively, will be used to provide fiber reinforcement in the through-thickness directin to inhibit shear between plies. A 2-D Nicalon TM fiber reinforced alumina matrix composite fabricated via the directed metal oxidation process will be used in this study. The effectiveness of the technical approaches used will be evaluated by interlaminar shear tests using the short beam method and the double notch shear test. Composite tensile and flexural strenght, toughness, coefficient of thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity will also be measured. Lanxide Corporation is well staffed and equipped to carry out the proposed research effort. Lanxide's extensive experience in composite development and characterization provide excellent prospects for success in the proposed program."
Development of Metal-to-SiCf/Al2O3 Composite Brazing Methods for Turbine Engine Components,,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,1994,1,99102.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,Dr. Ali S. Fareed,,3024566270,,N/A
BACTERIAL IDENTIFICATION FRO ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES BY PHOSPHOLIPID FATTY ACID ANALYSIS,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1994,1,70795.00,Mdi Inc.,1115 Barksdale Professional Dr,,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,,Dr Myron Sasser,,3027374297,,"RESEARCH ON IN-SITU REMEDIATION OF SUBSURFACE POLLUTION AND HAZARDOUS WASTES INCLUDES STUDIES ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA IN SUCH SITES. THE ORIGINS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND RELATIONSHIPS TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE FACILITATED BY LEARNING THE IDENTITY OF THE BACTERIA PRESENT IN THE SITES. HIGHLY DESIRABLE WOULD BE THE IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANISMS DIRECTLY FROM THE SOIL WITHOUT THE NECESSITY OF GETTING THE ORGANISMS INTO PURE CULTURE. PHASE I WILL EXPLORE THE USE OF SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION OF BACTERICAL LIPIDS DIRECTLY FROM SOIL SAMPLES, FOLLOWED BY DERIVITIZATION AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS. USE OF THE ELECTRON CAPTURE DETECTOR WITH FLUORO ESTERS WILL PROVIDE ENHANCED SENSITIVITY FOR DETECTION OF RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBERS OF ORGANISMS. THE RESULTING COMPLEX MIXTURE OF FATTY ACIDS WILL BE STUDIED USING BIOMARKER FATTY ACIDS (COMPOUNDS UNIQUE TO A LIMITED CLASS OF ORGANISMS) TO IDENTIFY MAJOR SPECIES COMPONENTS OF THE MIXED POPULATION. ANOTHER ALGORITHM WILL THEN USE THE BIOMARKER INFORMATION TO SET UP A MATRIX OF POSSIBLE SPECIES COMBINATIONS AND COMPARE THE RESULTS OF THE MATRIX TO THE COMPLEX PROFILE. THIS SHOULD MAKE POSSIBLE REASONABLE ESTIMATES OF THE PERCENTAGE COMPOSITION OF EACH OF THE MAJOR BACTERIAL SPECIES IN A COMPLEX CONSORTIUM."
"HIGHLY PORTABLE, FLEXIBLE SILICON SOLAR CELL ARRAYS FOR POLAR OPERATIONS",,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1993,2,268349.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G. Mauk,,3023660400,,"THIS PROGRAM WILL DEMONSTRATE HIGH SPECIFIC POWER, LIGHTWEIGHT, FLEXIBLE, THIN SILICON SOLAR CELLS. THESE SOLAR CELLS CAN BE DIRECTLY SUBSTITUTED FOR EXISTING STATE OF THE ART SILICON SOLAR CELLS WITH THE EFFECT OF SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVING SPECIFIC POWER, POWER/AREA, AND POWER SUPPLY LIFE. THE PROPOSAL DESCRIBES A LIGHTWEIGHT, FLEXIBLE, HIGH-PERFORMANCE, ULTRA-THIN SILICON SOLAR CELL THAT INCORPORATES LIGHT-TRAPPING AND A GRAPHITE CLOTH SUBSTRATE AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE DEVICE. THIS NEW TYPE OF SILICON SOLAR CELL WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR POLAR OPERATIONS. THE SILICON LAYERS WILL BE DEPOSITED BY ELECTRO-DEPOSITION. THESE THIN FILMS WILL DEMONSTRATE THE LIGHTWEIGHT AND FLEXIBILITY OF OTHER THIN FILM SOLAR CELL DESIGNS WHILE MAINTAINING THE HIGH PERFORMANCE OF CRYSTALLINE SILICON. ASTROPOWER HAS DEMONSTRATED EFFICIENCIES OF 15.7% WITH THIN POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON ON CERAMIC SOLAR CELLS. THE DEVICE WILL HAVE IMMEDIATE APPLICATION WHEREVER HIGH POWER OUTPUT, LIGHTWEIGHT, AND PORTABILITY ARE IMPORTANT. USING A GRAPHITE CLOTH SUPPORTING SUBSTRATE, SPECIFIC POWER FOR THE SOLAR CELL PLUS ENCAPSULANT OF 461.0 W/KG IS PROJECTED."
GaP ZnS for Blue Light Emitting Diodes,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1993,2,345000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Robert B. Hall,,3023660400,,"AstroPower is developing a two-junction monolithic tandem solar cell composed of (AlxGa1-x)0.51In.49P lattice matched to GaAs for use as the top cell in a three-junction, two-terminal tandem stack. This tunable bandgap material system is capable of current matching, at 2.03eV, in a two-junction monolithic tandem solar cell two terminal design of (AlxGa1-x)0.51In0.49P/GaAs yielding a best case predicted efficiency of 27.2 %. This solar cell can in turn be applied as a current matched top cell on a triple-junction, two-terminal configuration with silicon solar cells with a predicted efficiency of 34.1%. The Al-Ga-In-P material system can also be useful for integration of sensor arrays, monolithic LED displays, or optical computing systems as well as ultra-bright green LED and laser technology with a bandgap as high as 2.3 eV."
"LIGHTWEIGHT, LIGHT-TRAPPED, THIN GAAS SOLAR CELL FOR SPACECRAFT APPLICATIONS",,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1993,2,582073.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Margaret H. Hannon,,3023660400,,"ASTROPOWER IS PROPOSING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH PERFORMANCE, THIN LIGHT TRAPPING GAAS SOLAR CELL FOR ADVANCED SPACE POWER SYSTEMS. A THIN DEVICE LEADS TO HIGHER PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE, RADIATION RESISTANCE, AND SPECIFIC POWER. IN A THIN DEVICE, THE INCORPORATION OF LIGHT TRAPPING TO EXTEND THE OPTICAL PATH LENGTH PERMITS GREATER CURRENT GENERATIC THAN CAN BE EXPEDITED FROM A CONVENTIONAL, THICK GAAS SOLAR CELL. THE USE OF AN OPTICAL REFLECTOR INCREASES THE SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT AND REDUCES THE BULK RECOMBINATION. THE INNOVATIVE DESIGN PROPOSED FOR HIS PHASE I PROGRAM COMBINES A ULTRA-THIN GAAS SOLAR CELL WITH THE OPTIMUM LIGHT TRAPPING TECHNOLOGY, WHILE OFFERING THE ADDED BENEFITS OF DURABILITY AND LOW COST UTILIZING ASTROPOERS'S LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY TECHNOLOGIES. THE GOAL IS A 1.64 MICRON THICK SPACE SURVIVABLE GAAS SOLAR CELL OFFERING 24.5% EFFICIENCY (AMO, 1X), CORRESPONDING TO 2906 W/KG. THE DEVLOPMENT OF THIS THECNOLOGY CAN RESULT IN A REVOLUTIONARY IMPROVEMENT IN HIGH SURVIVABILITY LIGHTWEIGHT GAAS SOLAR CELL PRODUCTS FOR SPACE."
"High Specific Power, Electrostatically Bonded, Ultra-thin Gaas",,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1993,1,65000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Margaret H. Hannon,,3023660400,,"ASTROPOWER PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH PERFORMANCE, ULTRA-THIN ELECTROSTATICALLY BONDED GaAs SOLAR CELL WITH COPLANAR BACK CONTACTS. THE INNOVATIVE DESIGN INCORPORATES LIGHT TRAPPING, ADHESIVELESS COVER SLIDE BONDING, AND ELIMINATES GRID SHADING. THIS NOVEL DEVICE WILL EXHIBIT INCREASED EFFICIENCY AND SPECIFIC POWER DUE TO THE HIGHER OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE AND SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT OBTAINABLE FROM A THIN DEVICE. AN OPTICAL REFLECTOR IS USED TO INCREASE THE SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT WHILE MAINTAINING REDUCED BULK RECOMBINATION. BECAUSE THE THICKNESS OF THE GaAs SOLAR CELL IS LESS THAN 2 MICRONS, THE DEVICE IS SUPPORTED BY A 3-MIL THICK COVER GLASS THAT IS ELECTROSTATICALLY BONDED TO THE FRONT SURFACE. THE SPECIFIC POWER FOR THIS NOVEL SOLAR CELL IS 3549 W/KG WITH AN AMO EFFICIENCY OF 24.5%. THERMAL STABILITY AND TOLERANCE TO UV DEGRADATION ARE INHERENT TO THE THIN DEVICE STRUCTURE AND ELECTROSTATICALLY BONDED COVER SLIDE. SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPEMENT OF THIS TECHNOLOGY CAN RESULT IN A REVOLUTIONARY IMPROVEMENT IN SURVIVABILITY, PERFORMANCE, AND LIGHTWEIGHT GaAs SOLAR CELL PRODUCTS FOR SPACE."
(GAP)1-X(ZNS)X:A NEW TUNABLE WIDE-BANDGAP MATERIAL FOR BLUE LIGHT EMITTING DIODES AND DETECTORS OF ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1993,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Margaret H Hannon,,3023660400,,"THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF A (GAP)1-X(ZNS)X-BASED MATERIAL IS BEING ENGINEERED TO PREPARE AN UTEROPOLAR, DIRECT BANDGAP MATERIAL. THIS TYPE OF MATERIAL WITH BANDGAP IN EXCESS OF 2.6 EV CAN BE EMPLOYED IN BLUE LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES, AND IN UV DETECTORS CAPABLE OF SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE COMPARED TO SILICON, IN HIGH TEMPERATURE, HIGH RADIATION ENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS IN EARTH ORBIT AND PARTICLE ACCELERATORS. FOR A BLUE LED, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS MATERIAL SYSTEM IS LEADING TO LUMINOUS INTENSITIES OF 80 TO 300 MCD COMPARED TO THE 20 MCD OF CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SIC LEDS. IT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE WORK TO EXPLORE FOR SOLID SOLUTION COMPOSITIONS OF (GAP)1-X(ZNS)X THAT ARE AMPHOTERIC AND CHARACTERIZED BY DIRECT BANDGAPS GREATER THAN 2.6 EV, AND TO DEMONSTRTE EPITAXIAL GROWTH TECHNIQUES WHICH HAVE MANUFACTURING SCALE POTENTIAL."
HIGH VOLTAGE GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE POWER CONVERTERS FR BETAVOLTAIC BATTERIES,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1993,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Paul E Sims,,3023660400,,"ASTROPOWER IS DEVELOPING GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE ENERGY CONVERTERS OPTIMIZED FOR RADIO LUMINESCENT LIGHT-BASED POWER SUPPLIES. A ""TWO-STEP"" OR ""INDIRECT"" PROCESS IS USED WHERE A PHOSPHOR IS EXCITED BY RADIOACTIVE DECAY PRODUCTS TO PRODUCE LIGHT THAT IS THEN CONVERTED TO ELECTRICITY BY A GAP ENERGY CONVERTER. THIS INDIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION OF BETA-RADIOATION TO ELECTRICAL ENEERGY CAN BE REALIZED BY APPLYING RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TRITIUM-BASED RADIO LUMINESCENT (RL) LIGHT SOURCES IN COMBINATION WITH THE HIGH CELL OPERATING VOLTAGES THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED UNDER LOW ILLUMINATION WITH GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE PHOTODIODES. ADDRESSED IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEMICONDUCTOR POWER CONVERTERS THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR LOW ACTIVITY RADIOISOTOPE FUELS SUCH AS TRITIUM (T2). TRITIUM HAS BEEN NEGLECTED IN SEMICONDUCTOR CONVERSION DUE TO ITS LOW AVERAGE ENERGY EMISSION, 5.7 KEV, BUT RECENT MATERIAL ADVANCES HAVE MADE TRITIUM SOURCES PRACTICAL. TRITIUM HAS A RELATIVELY LONG HALF-LIFE, A SAFE DECAY PRODUCT, IS EASILY SHIELDED, AND IS REQUIRED IN ONLY SMALL AMOUNTS FOR MILLIWATT POWER SUPPLIES."
"Monolithically Interconnected, Thin Silicon Solar Cell Array",,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1993,1,65761.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Jeffrey E. Cotter,,3023660400,,N/A
REMOVAL OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM GASEOUS EFFLUENT STREAMS BY NOVEL PERFLUOROMEMBRANES,,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1993,1,50000.00,"COMPACT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS, INC.",335 WATER ST,,Wilmington,DE,19804-0000,No,No,No,,,,,Dr Stuart Nemser,,3029841762,,N/A
Sign Language Telephone for The Hearing Impaired,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1993,1,50000.00,Gms Systems,954 New London Road,,Neward,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,,Gregg M. Stum,,3027375416,,"The goal is to produce a sign language telephone providing visual communication to the hearing impaired. Currently their only access to telephone conversation is with typed messages using Telephone for the Deaf and Disable. Sign language is a more appropriate and effective communication medium than is written English. Physical limitations of the existing telephone network preclude transmission of video images in real time. Intelligibility studies of sign language indicate that outline images of the face, arms, and hands convey at least 90% intelligibility, the minimum standard for voice conversations over the telephone. ASEL has a transputer-based personal computer system that converts a video image into such an outline image in real time. Phase I will develop a Sign Language Terminal Board (SLTB) that replaces the transputer network and implements compression/uncompression software to achieve a transmission rate of ten frames per second. The SLTB is built using a set of proprietary integrated circuits under development at the University of Delaware for ASEL. Phase II will combine this chipset into one VLSI chip, enhance the SLTB to contain the compression/uncompression, and develop the sign language telephone as a portable stand-alone unit."
NOVEL CERAMIC/METAL COMPOSITES FOR ARMOR APPLICATIONS,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1993,2,250000.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,,,0,,"CERAMICS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE IN THE DEFEAT OF A WIDE RANGE OF KINETIC ENERGY (KE) THREATS. HOWEVER, THE USE OF CERAMICS IN ARMORED VEHICLES HAS BEEN LIMITED DUE IN MOST PART TO THEIR HIGH COST. CERAMIC PARTICULATE REINFORCED METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES (MMCS) PRODUCED BY PRESSURELESS LIQUID METAL INFILTRATION ARE INEXPENSIVE RELATIVE TO MONOLITHIC CERAMICS DUE TO THE LOWER COST OF THE RAW MATERIALS, THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE THE MMCS TO NET SHAPE, AND THE LOWER COST PROCESSING TECHNIQUE. LIKE CERAMICS, MMCS (CONTAINING HIGH LOADINGS (>60 VOL%) OF CERAMIC PARTICLES) CAN PROVIDE VERY EFFECTIVE BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE VERSUS MANY KE THREATS. IN GENERAL, THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE MMCS CAN BE ENHANCED BY INCREASING THE CERAMIC CONTENT. TO THIS END, THE PRESENT WORK IS PROPOSED. LOW COST NET SHAPE MMCS WILL BE FABRICATED VIA THE PRESSURELESS LIQUID METAL INFILTRATION TECHNIQUE. PROPRIETARY PROCESSING STEPS WILL BE APPLIED TO YIELD A COMPOSITE WITH AN ENHANCED CERAMIC CONTENT. THE FINAL PRODUCT WILL POSSESS THE ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES OF THE CURRENT GENERATION OF MMCS, BUT THE INCREASED CERAMIC CONTENT SHOULD RESULT IN IMPROVED BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE. PHASE I WILL STUDY THE PROCESSING AND QUASI-STATIC PROPERTIES OF THESE NOVEL COMPOSITE MATERIALS. THESE MATERAILS WILL BE ECONOMICAL AND ARE ANTICIPATED TO HAVE FAVORABLE BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE VERSUS A VARIETY OF HEAVY THREATS FACED BY MAIN BATTLE TANKS. POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS ARE INDUSTRIAL WEAR COMPONENTS."
AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH FOR THE FORMATION OF SILICON CARBIDE/SILICON CARBIDE COMPOSITES,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1993,1,74959.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,Dr William B Johnson,,3024566216,,N/A
"Ultrapure, Low Acidity Silica Microspheroid Separations",,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1993,1,50000.00,"Rockland Technologies, Inc.",538 FIRST STATE BLVD,,Newport,DE,19804,No,No,No,,,,,Joseph J. Kirkland,,3026335889,,N/A
THIN CRYSTALLINE SILICON FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR CELLS AND ARRAYS ON FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATES,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1992,2,497072.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James A Rand,Principal Investigator,3023660400,,"SOLAR CELLS ARE BEING FABRICATED USING THIN FILMS OF SILICON ON INEXPENSIVE, FLEXIBLE CLOTH SUBSTRATES. PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES FABRICATED WITH THESE STRUCTURES CAN DEMONSTRATE THE HIGH PERFORMANCE OF CRYSTALLINE SILICON WITH THE LIGHT WEIGHT OF THIN FILM SOLAR CELLS. THE RESULT IS A SOLAR CELL THAT HAS APPLICATIONS WHEREVER A LIGHTWEIGHT POWER SOURCE IS NEEDED. THE RADIATION TOLERANCE OF THIN CRYSTALLINE SILICON DEVICES MAKE THIS TECHNOLOGY WELL SUITED TO SPACE APPLICATIONS. TERRESTRIAL APPLICATIONS CAN ALSO BENEFIT FROM THE LIGHTWEIGHT, LOW-COST DESIGN. ALL TYPES OF MOBILE POWER GENERATORS, INCLUDING MILITARY AND COMMERICAL, ARE POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY."
AlGaP/GaP Heterostructure Ultraviolet Detector,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1992,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Paul E. Sims,,3023660400,,"AstroPower is developing a highly sensitive UV detector based on epitaxial AlGaP/GaP heterostructures, a promising new material system for ultraviolet detectors. Detecting ultraviolet light is important to spectrophotometry, astronomy, high-energy physics, medicine, UV curing, photoresist exposure, and chemical processes. The large bandgap and crystalline quality of gallium phosphide will provide superior performance in high temperature, high radiation environments such as in earth orbit and article accelerators. Leakage currents lower than 10 to the -16 A/cm2 will result in an increase in detector sensitivity of up to three times. Advanced device design will increase ultraviolet sensitivity and decrease response to longer wavelength light. Continued development and optimization of this device will lead to the production of high performance cost-effective gallium phosphide UV detectors."
Large Area Thin Film Silicon Carbide Using Zone Melt Synthesis and LPE,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1992,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Sandra Collins,,3023660400,,"AstroPower is developing a new process for the growth of large area, thin film 3C-SiC using a proprietary deposition technique followed by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). Successful development of the growth process will provide high quality, thin film SiC in typical silicon wafer areas, allowing compatibility with existing silicon circuit foundries for devices where SiC is the material of choice. New techniques will be used to control the crystallization of SiC on single crystal silicon and anneal out defects at the SiC/Si interface. LPE layers will form device active layers providing high quality material by further annealing growth defects and minimizing stress induced defects which plague state-of-the-art 3C-SiC on silicon. SiC offers a unique combination of properties that are ideal for semiconductor devices which operate at high temperatures or deliver high power at microwave frequencies and is a suitable material for the fabrication of wide bandgap LEDs and detectors."
AlGaInP/GaAs 27% Efficient Top Solar Cells,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1992,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Louis C. Dinetta,,3023660400,,"AstroPower will develop a two-junction monolithic tandem solar cell composed of (AlxGa1-x)0.51 In(0.49)P, which is lattice matched to GaAs, as the top cell in a three-junction, two-terminal tandem solar cell. This new tunable bandgap Al-Ga-In-P material is capable of current matching in a two-junction monolithic tandem solar cell two-terminal design of the Al-Ga-In-P over GaAs yielding a best case predicted efficiency of 27.2%. The direct bandgap of the material system can be tuned to as high as 2.3 eV, where a bandgap of 2.03 eV is necessary for current matching in a two-terminal stack. The tandem solar cell can in turn be applied as a current-matched top solar cell in a triple-junction, two terminal configuration with silicon or other suitable bottom solar cells. The success of this project will lead to deployment of high performance solar cells in the space environment, and will impact the longevity and power generation of space power supplies."
Laser and LED Arrays for Optical Computing,,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1992,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G. Mauk,,3023660400,,"1 New concepts in optical computing and optical interconnects require hardware developments of generic, compact, multi-element LED source array. A two dementional array of individually-addressable Light-emitting Diode optical emitters will be developed. An innovative CVD/LPE heteropitaxy technique will be employed for the monolithic integration of high-speed-surface-emitting AlGaAs/GaAs LEDs on silicon bipolar transistor driver circurity. The Phase I work utilizes a new surface-emitting LES design with projected modulation rates approaching 1 GB/swith opticalpower levels exeeding 0.2 mW. The heteroepitaxy process will be optimized with special consideration given to reducing defect densities associated with thermal stress and lattice-mismatch. The Phase I work will provide a basis for the production of large (up to 1000 x 1000 elements) prototype arrays durring a Phase II program."
"LIGHTWEIGHT, LIGHT-TRAPPED, THIN GAAS SOLAR CELL FOR SPACECRAFT APPLICATIONS",,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1992,1,49713.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Margaret H. Hannon,,3023660400,,N/A
"HIGHLY PORTABLE, FLEXIBLE SILICON SOLAR CELL ARRAYS FOR POLAR OPERATIONS",,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1992,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G. Mauk,,3023660400,,N/A
A LOW-LEAKAGE GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE PARTICLE DETECTOR,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1992,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Sandra R. Collins,Principal Investigator,3023660400,,N/A
GaP ZnS for Blue Light Emitting Diodes,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1992,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Robert B. Hall,,3023660400,,N/A
A SIGN-LANGUAGE TELEPHONE FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED,,ED,ED,SBIR,1992,1,30000.00,Gms Systems,954 New London Road,,Neward,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,,Gregg M Stum,Director,0,,"THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PRODUCE A SIGN-LANGUAGE TELEPHONE PROVIDING VISUAL COMMUNICATION TO THE HEARING IMPAIRED. CURRENTLY THEIR ONLY ACCESS TO TELEPHONE CONVERSATION IS WITH TYPED MESSAGES USING TELEPHONE FOR THE DEAF AND DISABLED. SIGN-LANGUAGE IS A MORE APPROPRIATE AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION MEDIUM THAN IS WRITTEN ENGLISH. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE EXISTING TELEPHONE NETWORK PRECLUDE TRANSMISSION OF VIDEO IMAGES IN REAL-TIME. INTELLIGIBILITY STUDIES OF SIGN-LANGUAGE INDICATE THAT OUTLINE IMAGES OF THE FACE, ARMS, AND HANDS CONVEY AT LEAST 90% INTELLIGIBILITY, THE MINIMUM STANDARD FOR VOICE CONVERSATIONS OVER THE TELEPHONE. THE APPLIED SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING LABORATORIES (ASEL) HAS A TRANSPUTER-BASED PERSONAL COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT CONVERTS A VIDEO IMAGE IN REAL-TIME. PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A SIGN-LANGUAGE TERMINAL BOARD (SLTB) THAT RAPLACES THE TRANSPUTER NETWORK, AND TO IMPLEMENT COMPRESSION/UNCOMPRESSION SOFTWARE THAT ACHIEVED A TRANSMISSION RATE OF 10 FRAMES/SECOND. THE SLTB IS TO BE BUILT USING A SET OF PROPRIETARY INTEGRATED CIRCUITS UNDER DEVELOPMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE FOR ASEL. PHASE II OF THIS PROJECT IS TO COMBINE THIS CHIPSET INTO ONE VLSI CHIP, ENHANCE THE SLTB TO CONTAIN THE COMPRESSION/UNCOMPRESSION, ANDDEVELOP THE SIGN-LANGUAGE TELEPHONE AS A PORTABLE STAND-ALONE UNIT."
IR/RF Expendable,,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1991,1,53847.00,"Alloy Surfaces Company, Inc.",100 Locke Road,,Wilmington,DE,19809,No,No,No,,,,,John A Lafemina,,3027628900,,esign of the IR/RF payloads.
LARGE-SCALE LIGUID PHASE EPITAXY OF MULTIPLE LAYER III-V SEMICONDUCTOR COMPOUNDS,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1991,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Gerald H. Negley,Manager,0,,"ASTROPOWER PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A LARGE-SCALE, HIGH-THROUGHPUT LIQUID PHASE EPITAXIAL (LPE) REACTOR FOR THEFABRICATION OF MULTI-LAYER III-V SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES. A DESIGN GOAL OF 1000 CM(2) PER HOUR HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED WHILE MAINTAINING THE KEY FEATURES OF LPE: 1) HIGHEST MATERIAL QUALITY OF ALL EPITAXIAL GROWTH PROCESSES, 2) SIMPLICITY AND SAFETY (AS COMPARED TO MOCVD AND MBE), AND 3) LOW COST (MATERIALS, CAPITAL EQUIPMENT, ETC.). LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY HAS BEEN USED IN THE MANUFACTURING OF LASER AND LIGHT EMITTING DIODES USING QUATERNARY (INGAASP/INP) AND TERNARY (ALGAAS) COMPOUNDS. THE LIMITATIONS AS A PRODUCTION TOOL HAVE BEEN DUE TO LOW THROUGHPUT. THE DESIGN GOAL FOR THIS PROGRAM REPRESENTS A 30X INCREASE OVER OTHER LARGE-SCALE LPE SYSTEMS AND A 3X INCREASE OVER MOCVD REACTORS. LPE HAS NOT BEEN THE BENEFICIARY OF REVOLUTIONARY NEW IDEAS BECAUSE OF THE MISTAKEN BELIEF THAT IT IS ""OLD TECHNOLOGY"". NONETHELESS, LPE MATERIAL IS USED AS THE QUALITY STANDARD INMATERIALS COMPARISON WITH OTHER TECHNIQUES SUCH AS MOCVD ANDMBE. THIS PROGRAM WILL RESULT IN STATE-OF-THE-ART LPE REACTORS WHICH WILL HAVE SUPERIOR THROUGHPUT, MATERIAL QUALITY, AND SAFETY COMPARED TO ANY OTHER GROWTH TECHNIQUES."
CONFORMAL HETEROEPITAXY OF GAAS AND INP ON SILICON AND SAPPHIRE SUBSTRATES,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1991,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G. Mauk,Research Engineer,0,,"CONFORMAL VAPOR PHASE EPITAXY (CVPE) IS A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR TWO-DIMENSIONAL CONSTRAINED GROWTH OF THIN SEMICONDUCTOR FILMS USING A HALIDE VAPOR TRANSPORT PROCESS. THIS TECHNIQUE WILL BE APPLIED TO THE GROWTH OF GAAS AND INP FILMS ON SILICON AND SAPPHIRE SUBSTRATES. EPITAXIAL-LATERALOVERGROWTH WITH HIGH ASPECT RATIOS IS ACHIEVED BY CONFINING GROWTH TO A THIN VOID SPACE BOUNDED BY AN OXIDE-MASK COATINGTHE SUBSTRATE AND AN ADJACENT OVERHANGING MASK. THIS TECHNIQUE HAS EXCELLENT POTENTIAL FOR REDUCING THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF LATTICE-MISMATCH AND THERMAL STRESS TO YIELD LOW-DEFECT HETEROEPITAXIAL FILMS. THE FEASIBILITY OF CVPE FOR GAAS-ON-SILICON, GAAS-ON-SAPPHIRE, INP-ON-SILICON, AND INP-ON-SAPPHIRE WILL BE STUDIED WITH EXPERIMENTAL EMPHASIS ON GAAS-ON-SILICON. HETEROEPITAXIAL MATERIAL WILL BE CHARACTERIZED AND MINORITY CARRIER DEVICES,SUCH AS PHOTODETECTORS AND LEDS, FABRICATED WITH THE HETEROEPITAXIAL FILMS, WILL BE EVALUATED."
HIGH-PERFORMANCE RADIATION-HARD ULTRA-THIN SILICON-UNDER-GLASS SOLAR CELLS,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1991,2,500000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Jerome S Culik,,3023660400,,N/A
HIGH-PERFORMANCE RADIATION-HARD ULTRA-THIN SILICON-UNDER-GLASS SOLAR CELLS,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1991,2,496519.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G Mauk,,3023660400,,N/A
THIN CRYSTALLINE SILICON FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR CELLS AND ARRAYS ON FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATES,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1991,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James A Rand,Principal Investigator,3023660400,,N/A
ENHANCING JOB OPPORTUNITIES BY USING ADAPTIVE FLEXIBLE ABBREVIATION EXPANSION TO INCREASE TYPING RATE,,ED,ED,SBIR,1991,1,30000.00,Gms Systems,954 New London Road,,Neward,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,,Gregg M Stum,Director,0,,"WITH THE EMERGENCE OF THE COMPUTER AS A BASIC TOOL IN THE WORKPLACE, TYPING IS AN ESSENTIAL VOCATIONAL SKILL. PEOPLE WHO ARE UNABLE TO FULLY UTILIZE STANDARD KEYBOARDS HAVE SIGNIFICANLY LOWER TYPING RATES. ABBREVIATION EXPANSION IS A POWERFUL TECHNIQUE FOR SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING THIS RATE. CURRENT EXPANDERS RESTRICT THEMSELVES TO FIXED ABBREVIATION SCHEMES TO ACHIEVE ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE. THIS RESTRICTION IMPOSES UNNECESSARY BURDENS ON BOTH ITS USER AND THE PERSON CHARGED WITH CONSTRUCTING THIS SCHEME FOR THAT USER. ADAPTIVE FLEXIBLE ABBREVIATION EXPANSION IS AN INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY SYNTHESIZING ALL THE BEST FEATURES OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES WHILE AVOIDING THEIR DRAWBACKS. WHILE THERE IS A DEMONSTRATED NEED FOR AN ABBREVIATION EXPANDER THAT FREES ITS USER FROM MEMORIZING ANY SPECIFIC SCHEME, CAN ADJUST ITSELF TO ITS USER'S PREFERENCES AND PATTERNS, CAN PRODUCE A FIXED SCHEME IF NECESSARY, AND IS INDEPENDENT OF ANY SPECIFIC APPLICATION, THE PROBLEM IS THATNONE IS YET BEING DEVELOPED. NOW THAT ADVANCES IN COMPUTER HARDWARE MAKE A MORE SOPHISTICATED SOLUTION PRACTICAL, THIS PROJECT ANSWERS THAT NEED BY PRODUCING THE FLEXIBLE ADAPTIVE EXPANDER BASED ON ADAPTIVE FLEXIBLE ABBREVIATION EXPANSION."
FAILURE INVESTIGATION OF CERAMIC ARMOR BACKED BY ALUMINUM OR ALUMINUM MATRIX COMPOSITE SUPPORT-PLATES,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1991,1,50000.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,Luisa Deckard,Principal Investigator,3024566249,,"IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE OF TIB2 CERMAIC ARMOR TILES BACKED UP BY A VARIETY OF LIGHTWEIGHT SUPPORT-PLATES BE INVESTIGATED BY 1MEV FLASH X-RAY EQUIPMENT DURING PENETRATION, AND BY MACROSCOPIC AND MICROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS OF RECOVERED TARGETS. THE SUPPORT-PLATE TEST MATRIX INCLUDES TWO MATERIALS (A STRUCTURAL ALUMINUM ALLOY AND A CERAMIC REINFORCED ALUMINUM MATRIX COMPOSITE), TWO THICKNESSES, AND ONE PLATE WITH THROUGH HOLES FOR REDUCED WEIGHT. IN ADDITION, AN EPOXY BOND WILL BE COMPARED TO A METALLURGICAL BOND. IN PREVIOUS WORK, BALLISTIC TEST RESULTS HAVE SHOWN THAT THIN METAL PLATES (SUPPORT-PLATES) BONDED TO THE BACK OF ARMOR CERAMICS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE PENETRATION RESISTANCE OF THE SYSTEMS IN WHICH THESE MACROCOMPOSITES WERE EMPLOYED. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH THESE SUPPORT-PLATES ENHANCE PENETRATION RESISTANCE, THE DESIRABLE SUPPORT-PLATE PROPERTIES, AND THE REQUISITE CERAMIC TO SUPPORT-PLATE BOND CHARACTERISTICS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THESE IMPORTANT EFFECTS. THE INSIGHTS PROVIDED BY THE PROPOSED PHASE I INVESTIGATION WILL GUIDE THE DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF GRADED COMPOSITES IN PHASE II. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS - THE EXPERIMENTAL DATA OBTAINED WILL BENEFIT CURRENT PENETRATION MODELING EFFORTS IN THE ARMOR/ANTI-ARMOR COMMUNITY, WILL PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION FOR THE DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF LAMINATED MACROCOMPOSITE CERAMIC/METAL APPLIQUE ARMORS, AND WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE INFORMATION BASE REQUIRED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ONE PIECE GRADED APPLIQUE ARMORS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE A SUPPORT-PLATE."
INVESTIGATION OF STRESS WAVES AND FAILURE PHENOMENOLOGY IN ALUMINUM METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE AND TIB2 LAMINATED ARMOR,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1991,1,50000.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,,,0,,"TO UNDERSTAND BETTER HOW LAMINATED CERAMIC ARMOR PERFORMS, IT IS PROPOSED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF THE IMPEDANCE MISMATCH AND INTERLAYER BOND STRENGTH (BETWEEN AI(2)0(3) REINFORCED ALUMINUM MATRIX COMPOSITES AND TIB(2)) ON STRESS WAVE PROPAGATION AND PENETRATION PHENOMENOLOGY DUE TO LONG ROD IMPACT. LANXIDE'S UNIQUE PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE USED TO FORM A STRONG METALLURGICAL BOND AT THE INTERFACES IN SOME OF THE TARGETS. THREE OBSERVATION TECHNIQUES WILL BE EMPLOYED, NAMELY (I) PIEZORESISTANCE STRAIN-COMPENSATED STRESS GAGES FOR STRESS WAVE MEASUREMENTS, (II) HIGH VOLTAGE FLASH X-RAY EQUIPMENT FOR PENETRATION OBSERVATIONS, AND (III) TARGET RECOVERY FOR POST-MORTEM ANALYSIS. LAMINATED ARMORS MADE FROM LAYERS OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS ARE USED FOR BALLISTIC PROTECTION AGAINST ALL TYPES OF KINETIC ENERGY PROJECTILES AND SHAPED CHARGES. ARMORS THAT CONTAIN CERAMICS ARE LAMINATED FOR STRUCTURAL AS WELL AS BALLISTIC REASONS. THE RESULTING INTERFACES CAN EXHIBIT DIFFERENT MISMATCHES OF MECHANICAL IMPEDANCE AND BOND STRENGTHS. THESE INTERFACIAL CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE USED TO CONTROL AND MITIGATE STRESS WAVES PRODUCED BY BALLISTIC IMPACT AND PENETRATION. THE RESULTS FROM PHASE I WILL BE USED IN PHASE II TO DESIGN, FABRICATE AND TEST MULTILAYERED TARGETS. THE EXPERIMENTAL DATA OBTAINED WILL BENEFIT CURRENT PENETRATION MODELING EFFORTS IN THE ARMOR/ANTI-ARMOR COMMUNITY AND WILL PROVIDE NEEDED INFORMATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW FAMILY OF MULTILAYERED HEAVY ARMOR SYSTEMS COMPRISED OF NOVEL COMBINATIONS OF MATERIALS."
NOVEL CERAMIC/METAL COMPOSITES FOR ARMOR APPLICATIONS,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1991,1,50000.00,Lanxide Corporation,P.O. Box 6077,1300 Marrows Road,Newark,DE,19714,No,No,No,,,,,,,0,,N/A
ACTIVATED METAL DECOY FOR LOW IR SIGNATURE AIRCRAFT,,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1990,1,50000.00,"Alloy Surfaces Company, Inc.",100 Locke Road,,Wilmington,DE,19809,No,No,No,,,,,David P Dillard,,3027628900,,"ACTIVATED STEEL FOIL FABRICATED INTO ELEMENTS TO BE PACKAGED AS EXPENDABLE DECOYS HAS SHOWN GOOD PERFORMANCE IN LOW IR SIGNATURE APPLICATIONS. THE PRESENT BATCH PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR THESE FOILS ENTAILS, IN PART, TWENTY HOURS OF FURNACE TREATMENT. A COMBINATION OF NINE SEPARATE OPERATIONS, LOW PRODUCTION RATES AND HIGH LABOR COSTS YIELDS A UNIT MANUFACTURING COST OF MORE THAN $250.00. WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING ACTIVATED METAL BY A TIME, ELIMINATE SUCH HANDLING LABOR AND INCREASE THE PRODUCTION RATE TO MEET THE 5000 UNIT/MONTH PROGRAM REQUIREMENT AT A UNIT COST OF APPROXIMATELY $50. THE NEW TECHNIQUE INVOLVES THE APPLICATION OF A SLURRY COAT OF A DISPERSION OF METAL PRATICLES ON A CLEAN FOIL SURFACE FOLLOWED BY HEATING. THIS PROMOTES A HIGH TEMPERATURE SYNTHESIS REACTION (SHS) BETWEEN THE METAL PARTICLES, AND FORMS, WITHIN TEN (10) SECONDS, AN INSITU INTERMETALLIC COATING ON THE STEEL SURFACE. SUBSEQUENT SELECTIVE LEACHING PROVIDES THE CHARACTERISTICS SELF-IGNITING ACTIVATEDMETAL SURFACE. INDIVIDUAL STRIPS OF 1-MIL STEEL FOIL HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROCESSED BY THIS TECHNIQUE. ELEMENTS CUT FROM THIS STRIP DISPLAYED IR OUTPUTS COMPARABLE TO ELEMENTS PRODUCED BY THE OLD PROCEDURE."
ALUMINUM-GALLIUM-ARSENIDE TOP SOLAR CELL FOR MECHANICAL ATTACHMENT TO A SILICON CONCENTRATOR WITH IMPROVED AMO EFFICIENCY,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1990,2,300000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Gerald H Negley,,3023660400,,"INCREASES IN SOLAR CELL EFFICIENCY CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH TANDEM MULTI-JUNCTION STRUCTURES TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE AND SCALE OF SPACE PHOTOVOLTAIC CONCENTRATORS. THE ""TOP SOLAR CELL"" TANDEM APPROACH COULD INCREASE ENERGY CONVERSION EFFICIENCY BY AS MUCH AS 100%. A SELF-SUPPORTING ALUMINUM-GALLIUM-ARSENIDE (ALGAAS) TOP SOLAR CELL IS BEING DEVELOPED FOR MECHANICAL ATTACHMENT TO A SILICON CONCENTRATOR SOLAR CELL. A L.93EV ALGAAS COMPOSITION IS BEING INVESTIGATED FOR A FOUR-THERMAL WIRING CONFIGURATION, WHILE A 1.76 EV ALGAAS COMPOSITION IS BEING CONSIDERED FOR A TWO-TERMINAL CONFIGURATION. TO AVOID MATERIAL RELATED PROBLEMS, LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY IS BEING USED. THE TWO DIFFERENT DESIGN STRUCTURES TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXISTING LIGHT EMITTING DIODE TECHNOLOGIES. PRACTICAL EFFICIENCIES IN EXCESS OF 30% AMO ARE EXPECTED UNDER 100X CONCENTRATION. TWO AND FOUR-TERMINAL ALGAAS/SI MECHANICALLY STACKED PROTOTYPES ARE EXPECTED TO BE FABRICATED AT THE END OF THE RESEARCH EFFORT. ALTHOUGH PROPOSED FOR A CONCENTRATOR SYSTEM, THE ALGAAS TOP SOLAR CELL IS EASILY ADAPTABLE TO A FLAT PANEL ARRAY. WHEN SUCCESSFUL, THIS APPROACH WILL HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF HIGH PERFORMANCE OF SPACE AND TERRESTIAL POWER APPLICATIONS."
HIGH TEMPERATURE SURVIVABLE CONTACTS FOR GALLIUM ARSENIDE SPACE SOLAR CELLS,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1990,2,299000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,"EXISTING METALLIC-TYPE CONTACTS ON GALLIUM ARSENIDE (GAAS) HAVE NOT BEEN STABLE AT HIGH TEMPERATURES BECAUSE OF INTERDIFFUSION AND/OR ALLOYING OF THE GAAS TOP LAYER. HIGH TEMPERATURE CONTACTS TO GAAS SPACE PHOTOLTAIC CELLS ARE BEING DEVELOPED BASED ON THE FORMATION OF A HIGHLY-STABLE INTERMEDIATE DEGENERATE SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER BETWEEN THE GAAS AND A HIGH TEMPERATURE METAL ALLOY. THE INTERMEDIATE SEMICONDUCTOR APPROACH LEADS TO THE BEST HIGH TEMPERATURE PERFORMANCE BECAUSE IT USES A METAL WHICH IS A SEMICONDUCTOR RATHER THAN ALLOYING WITH THE GAAS. UNDER THIS APPROACH, BOTH THE INTERMEDIATE SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER AND THE CONTACT METAL ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN STABLE AT TEMPERATURES IN EXCESS OF 600 DEGREES C. THIS CONTACT WILL MAKE POSSIBLE NEW, HIGHER CONCENTRATION SOLAR CONCENTRATOR DESIGNS BOTH FOR SPACE AND TERRESTRIAL USE INCLUDING OTHER SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND ADVANCED OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES."
THIN CRYSTALLINE INDIUM-PHOSPHIDE ON INSULATING SUBSTRATES,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1990,2,487000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,"UNIFORM LARGE AREA, DEVICE QUALITY INDIUM PHOSPHIDE (INP) EPITAXIAL LAYERS ON INSULATING SUBSTRATES COULD LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW GENERATION OF PRODUCIBLE, RADIATION-HARDENED MICROELECTRONIC AND OPTOELECTRONIV INTEGRATED CIRCUITS. INP ALLOYS OFFER THE ADVANTAGES OF: PROVEN RESISTANCE TO RADIATION DAMAGE; LOWER SURFACE RECOMBINATION THAN GAAS; HIGH PEAK ELECTRON VELOCITY; AND BANDGAPS THAT MATCH THE LOW-ATTENUATION WINDOW IN SILICA-BASED OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES. IN THIS STUDY, A SIMPLE METHOD OF GROWING CRYSTALLINE INP HETEROLAYERS ON INSULATING SUBSTRATES IS BEING INVESTIGATED. THIS INVESTIGATION APPLIES SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED IN PRODUCING GAAS/SI HETEROSTRUCTURES. THE SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION OF THIS CONCEPT WILL ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF RADIATION-HARD, VLSI MICROELECTRONIC COMPONENTS INCORPORATING INP-ON-INSULATOR TECHNOLOGY. APPLICATIONS FORTHIS TECHNOLOGY INCLUDE NEURAL NETWORK LOGIC AND OPTICAL INTERCONNECT/PROCESSING SCHEMES."
HIGH TEMPERATURE SURVIVABLE INDIUM PHOSPHIDE SOLAR CELLS,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1990,2,478000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,"HIGH TEMPERATURE (>600 DEGREES CELSIUS) INDIUM PHOSPHIDE (INP) SPACE SOLAR CELLS ARE BEING DEVELOPED TO ELIMINATE THEPROBLEMS, SURFACE DECOMPOSITION AND CONTACT FAILURE, ENCOUNTERED WHEN INP SOLAR CELLS ARE EXPOSED TO HIGH TEMPERATURES. KEY TO THIS PROGRAM ARE THE USE OF AN ENCAPSULANT LAYER TO ARREST SURFACE DECOMPOSITION AND A HIGHLY-STABLE INTERMEDIATE DEGENERATE SEMICONDUCTOR CONTACT SYSTEM DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE CONTACT FAILURE AT HIGH TEMPERATURES. THIS METHOD IS SUPERIOR TO OTHER INP HIGH TEMPERATURE APPROACHES BECAUSE IT COMBINES EXISTING EXPERIENCE IN THE THREE TECHNICAL AREAS: PROPRIETARY ENCAPSULANT, INTERMEDIATE SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER (ISL) CONTACTS, AND A PRECISE INP SOLAR CELL MODEL. STABLE ENCAPSULATION OF INP AT 600 DEGREES CELSIUS HAS ALREADY BEEN DEMONSTRATED, AND HIGH TEMPERATURE CONTACTS TO GAAS AT 600 DEGREES CELSIUS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED USING THE INTERMEDIATE SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER APPROACH. WITH A SUITABLE SURFACE ENCAPSULANT, THE INTERMEDIATE SEMICONDUCTORLAYER APPROACH IS EXPECTED TO LEAD TO THE BEST HIGH TEMPERATURE PERFORMANCE BECAUSE IT USES A BASE METAL LAYER WHICH FORMS A SEMICONDUCTOR RATHER THAN ALLOYING WITH THE INP. THIS PROGRAM IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN 600 DEGREES CELSIUS SURVIVABLE INP SPACE SOLAR CELLS. HIGH TEMPERATURE PROTOTYPE INP SOLAR CELL HARDWARE ARE BEING DEMONSTRATED IN THIS PROGRAM. THE 600 DEGREES CELSIUS SURVIVABLE INP SOLAR CELL WOULD MAKE POSSIBLE NEW, HIGHER CONCENTRATION SOLAR CONCENTRATION DESIGNS FOR BOTH SPACE ANDTERRESTRIAL USE. THE NATURAL RADIATION RESISTANCE OF INP WOULD MAKE THIS TECHNOLOGY THE MOST SURVIVABLE FOR SPACE POWER APPLICATION. IN ADDITION TO PHOTOVOLTAIC USE, THE ENCAPSULANT-ISL CONTACT SYSTEM WOULD HAVE BROAD APPLICATION TO OTHER INP-BASED OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES, INCLUDING INGAASP QUATERNARY DEVICES, LEADING TO IMPROVED SURVIVABILITY FOR THESE STRATEGIC DEVICES."
"""ELECTRO-DEPOSITION OF SILICON FILMS FROM LIQUID-METAL SOLUTIONS FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC APPLICATIONS""",,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1990,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,,,0,,"ELECTRO-DEPOSITION OF SILICON FILMS FROM LIQUID-METAL SOLUTIONS WILL BE INVESTIGATED. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP A LOW-COST PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH-EFFICIENCY THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES. SPECIFICALLY, CURRENT-CONTROLLED GROWTH OF A SILICON FILM ON A SUBSTRATE IS ACCOMPLISHED USING A LIQUID-METAL SOLUTION, SUCH AS TIN, AND A SILICON SOURCE ELECTRODE. THE QUALITY OF SILICON GROWN FROM TIN IS GOOD. THE PHASE I WORK FOCUSES ON ELECTRO-EPITAXY OF SILICON FILMS ON MONOCRYSTALLINE AND POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON SUBSTRATES. IN ADDITION, EPITAXIAL LATERAL OVERGROWTH ON PATTERNED, OXIDE-MASKED SILICON SUBSTRATES WILL BE INVESTIGATED. FEASIBILITY STUDIES FOR ELECTRO-DEPOSITION OF SILICON ON LOW-COST CERAMIC SUBSTRATES WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED. ELCTRO-DEPOSITED SILICON FILMS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED STRUCTURALLY, CHEMICALLY, AND ELECTRICALLY. PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES WILL BE FABRICATED TO EVALUATE THE ELECTRO-DEPOSITEDSILICON FILMS."
HIGH-PERFORMANCE RADIATION-HARD ULTRA-THIN SILICON-UNDER-GLASS SOLAR CELLS,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1990,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Michael G Mauk,,3023660400,,N/A
HIGH-PERFORMANCE RADIATION-HARD ULTRA-THIN SILICON-UNDER-GLASS SOLAR CELLS,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1990,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Jerome S Culik,,3023660400,,N/A
GALLIUM ARSENIDE ON SILICON FOR MICROELECTRONIC AND OPTOELECTRONIC INTEGRATED CIRCUITS,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1989,2,224440.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,0,,"THE GROWTH OF DEVICE QUALITY, LARGE AREA GAAS EPITAXIAL LAYERS ON SILICON SUBSTRATES IS RECOGNIZED AS AN IMPORTANT TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT. THE QUALITY OF HETEROEPITAXIAL LAYERS OF GAAS ON SILICON ARE LIMITED BY GAAS-SI LATTICE MISMATCH AND THERMAL COEFFICIENT MISMATCH. THE DEFECT DENSITY OF THE GAAS EPILAYER IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE INTERFACE AREA. OUR LABORATORIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED A VIABLE GAAS-SI GROWTH TECHNIQUE: SELECTIVE LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY, SLPE. THIS APPROACH ENHANCES THE EPILAYER QUALITY SINCE THE LATERAL OVERGROWTH REGION IS SHIELDED FROM DEFECTSORIGINATING AT THE INTERFACE. THE SUBSTRATE IS PREPARED BY PLACING A SILICON DIOXIDE LAYERON THE SILICON AND OPENING A SELECTIVE PATTERN IN THE OXIDE USING PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY. THE NUCLEATION VIAS WILL BE FIVE MICRONS WIDE AND ONE HUNDRED MICRONS LONG, PLACED ON FIFTY TO ONE HUNDRED MICRON CENTERS. AFTER NUCLEATION INTHE VIAS, LATERAL OVERGROWTH WILL YIELD DEVICE QUALITY GAAS ON SILICON. DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN THE GAAS AND SILICON WILL BE LIMITED, WHICH WILL LIMIT LATERAL TENSION AND CONFINE DISLOCATION PROPAGATION TO THE VIA AREA."
THIN CRYSTALLINE INDIUM-PHOSPHIDE ON INSULATING SUBSTRATES,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1989,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,N/A
HIGH TEMPERATURE SURVIVABLE INDIUM PHOSPHIDE SOLAR CELLS,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1989,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,N/A
AIDS PREVENTION TRAINING FOR MINORITY PARENTS,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1989,1,50000.00,Bethune-cookman Dev Corp,2807 W 4th St,,Wilmington,DE,19805,No,Yes,No,,,,,,,0,,"BECAUSE THERE IS NO KNOWN CURE FOR AIDS, NOR ANY CURES CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED, THE MOST EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO THIS INTERNATIONAL EPIDEMIC MUST BE THROUGH EDUCATION AND PREVENTION. UNFORTUNATELY, OVER A THIRD OF U.S. YOUTHS IN LARGE CITIES HAVE ABANDONED SCHOOL AND, IN CONDUCTING THEIR LIVES IN THE CONTEXT OF STREET CULTURE, ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR CONTRACTING AIDS. PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP AND TO REFINE A TRAINING PACKAGE FOR DELIVERY TO PARENTS OF INNER-CITY MINORITY YOUTH IN THE 9- TO 12-YEAR-OLD AGE RANGE, USING ESTABLISHED CHURCH-RELATED CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION THAT HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY EMPLOYED SUCCESSFULLY IN DELIVERING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS CONCERNING THE RELATED PROBLEMS OF DRUG USE AND TEEN-AGE PREGNANCY. A PROTOTYPE CURRICULUM, WITH TRAINING MANUAL AND SUPPORTING VIDEOTAPE MATERIAL, WILL BE THE END PRODUCT OF THE PHASE I FEASIBILITY STUDY. EVALUATION WILL FOCUS UPON MEDICAL, EDUCATIONAL, STATISTICAL, AND SOCIOLOGICAL VALIDITY ISSUES, AND UPON THE GENERALIZABILITY OF THE PRODUCT TO A WIDER TARGET POPULATION. PHASE II WILL FOCUS UPON DEVELOPING A MARKETABLE PROGRAM PACKAGE FOR WIDE DISSEMINATION TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS."
ELECTRONIC GAAS-ON-SILICON MATERIAL FOR ADVANCED HIGH-SPEED OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1988,2,475000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,"THE SUCCESSFUL GROWTH OF GAAS ON SILICON SUBSTRATES USING DOUBLE SELECTIVE LIQUID EPITAXIAL (DSLE) PROCESS HAS RECENTLY BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THESE RESULTS SET THE STAGE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXTREMELY USEFUL MATERIAL--LARGE PLANAR WAFERS OF SMOOTH GAAS ON SILICON. DOUBLE SELECTIVE LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY LATTICE MISMATCH AND DIFFERENTIAL THERMAL EXPANSION BY REDUCING THE AREA OF CONTACT BETWEEN ADJACENT SEMICONDUCTOR LAYERS TO SMALL NUCLEATION VIAS ONLY MICRONS IN DIAMETER. SMOOTH, PLANAR LOW-DISLOCATION GALLIUM ARSENIDE OVERGROWTH IS BEING PREPARED BASED ON THE DSLE PROCESS BY CONTROLLING THE THERMOCHEMISTRY AND KINETICS OF THE GAAS OVERLAYER GROWTH TO ELIMINATEFACETING. LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN LOWER RESIDUAL BACKGROUND IMPURITY LEVELS THAN OTHER GROWTH TECHNIQUES. STABLE SEMI-INSULATING GAAS LAYERS ARE BEING PREPARED BY LOW LEVEL DOPING WITH A DEEP LEVEL ACCEPTOR. MATERIAL QUALITY AND UNIFORMITY ARE BEING DEMONSTRATED BY FABRICATING SIMPLE MAJORITY AND MINORITY CARRIER DEVICES. A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND EQUIPMENT DESIGN FOR 16 SQUARE INCH GAAS-ON-SILICON WAFERS IS BEING COMPLETED."
HIGH TEMPERATURE SURVIVABLE CONTACTS FOR GALLIUM ARSENIDE SPACE SOLAR CELLS,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1988,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,N/A
ALUMINUM-GALLIUM-ARSENIDE TOP SOLAR CELL FOR MECHANICAL ATTACHMENT TO A SILICON CONCENTRATOR WITH IMPROVED AMO EFFICIENCY,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1988,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,Gerald H Negley,,3023660400,,N/A
GALLIUM ARSENIDE ON SILICON FOR MICROELECTRONIC AND OPTOELECTRONIC INTEGRATED CIRCUITS,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1988,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,0,,N/A
CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES,,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1988,1,45873.00,Corrosion Testing Labs Inc,70 S Chapel St,,Newark,DE,19711,No,No,No,,,,,Brain j saldanha,,3023668835,,"THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM IN PHASE I ARE TO DEVELOP CORROSION DATA ON A SERIES OF SIC/AL AND GR/AL METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES. SINCE THESE MATERIALS SHOW SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL FOR USE IN NAVAL APPLICATIONS, THEIR CORROSION RESISTANCE WILL BE EVALUATED IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF MARINE EXPOSURES. DATA FROM LONGTERM EXPOSURES, SHORT-TERM ACCELERATED ELECTROCHEMICAL TESTS, AND METALLURGICAL EXAMINATIONS AND SEM/EDXA ANALYSIS OF THE SURFACES, INTERFACES, AND CORROSION PRODUCTS WILL BE DEVELOPED. THIS INFORMATION SHOULD PROVIDE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE MECHANISMS OF CORROSION IN COMPOSITE MATERIALS, WHICH MAY BE USED FOR IMPROVING FABRICATION PROCEDURES, FOR DEVELOPING NEWER OR EXISTING MATERIALS WHICH ADEQUATE CORROSION PROTECTION, AND FOR RECOMMENDING MATERIALS FOR USE IN ACTUAL SERVICE APPLICATIONS."
MONOLITHIC GAAS LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES ON SILICON VLSI CIRCUITS ELEMENTS,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1987,2,222417.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,"OPTOELECTRONIC SOURCES, INTEGRATED AS MONOLITHIC ELEMENTS ON SILICON VLSI CHIPS, OFFER IMPORTANT ADVANTAGES IN THE TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION WITHIN THE CHIP OR BETWEEN CHIPS IN ADVANCED COMPUTER SYSTEMS. THE SPEED OF OPTICAL-INTEGRATED VLSI DEVICES IS EXPECTED TO BE CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN EQUIVALENT VLSI WITH METALLIC INTERCONNECTS, DUE TO ABSENCE OF THE RC DELAY INHERENT IN THE METALLIC CONDUCTOR SYSTEM. A KEY OPPORTUNITY, AT THIS TIME, THEREFORE, IS TO INTEGRATE GAAS LED'S ONTO SILICON VLSI CIRCUITS AND TO USE GAAS LED'S TO COMMUNICATE EITHER BY DIRECT OPTICAL INTERACTION WITH A SILICON DETECTOR,OR BY LIGHT-GUIDED OR HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES. WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP METHODS OF NUCLEATION AND ISLAND GROWTH OF GAAS ON SINGLE CRYSTAL SILICON WAFERS THROUGH THE USE OF A NOVEL STRUCTURE WHICH MINIMIZES THE CONTACT AREA BETWEEN THE GAAS AND THE SILICON. THIS STRUCTURE WILL BE PREPARED USING SELECTIVE LIQUID-PHASE EPITAXY THROUGH VIAS IN A SILICON DIOXIDE LAYER ON THE SILICON WAFER. AN INTERMEDIATE NUCLEATION INTERLAYER WILL BE UTILIZED TO ACCOMMODATE THE LATTICE MISMATCH BETWEEN THE SILICON SUBSTRATE AND THE GAAS OVERGROWTH. DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN THE SILICON AND GAAS WILL BE LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF THE OVERALL AREA, WHICH WILL LIMIT STRAIN AND DISLOCATIONS WITHIN THE GAAS FILM. LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES WILL BE FABRICATED DIRECTLY ON SILICON VLSI CIRCUIT ELEMENTS, NAMELY, ON A N-MOS DRIVER. THE DEMONSTRATION OF A MONOLITHIC GAAS LED INTEGRATED ON A SILICON N-MOS DRIVER REPRESENTS A MAJOR ADVANCE IN THE PROGRESS TOWARD OPTICALLY INTERCONNECTED CIRCUITS FOR THE NEW GENERATION OF ULTRAHIGH SPEED COMPUTER SYSTEMS."
HIGH-EFFICIENCY THIN-FILM SILICON-ON-GAP SOLAR CELL FOR IMPROVED RADIATION RESISTANCE,,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1987,2,75000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,J S Culik,,3023660400,,"THE ULTIMATE HIGH-EFFICIENCY CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELL DESIGN CONSISTS OF A THIN FILM OF ELECTRICALLY-ACTIVE SILICON EPITAXIALLY GROWN ON AN OXIDE-OVERCOATED, INFRARED-TRANSPARENT GALLIUM PHOSPHIDE (GAP) SUBSTRATE. IN ADDITION TO HIGH CONVERSION EFFICIENCY AND INTRINSIC RADIATION RESISTANCE DUE TO THE THIN ACTIVE LAYERS, THIS NOVEL DESIGN HAS SEVERAL UNIQUE PERFORMANCE ENHANCING FEATURES. THE OXIDE OVERCOATING LAYER WILL SERVE AS A DIELECTRIC BACK SURFACE REFLECTOR TO ENHANCE THE OPTICAL ABSORPTION AND WILL ALSO ELIMINATE DANGLING BONDS IN THE EPITAXIALLY OVERGROWN SILICON LAYER, EFFECTIVELY PASSIVATING THE SILICON-OXIDE INTERFACE AND REDUCING BACK SURFACE RECOMBINATION. A HETEROJUNCTION CONTACT FORMED AT THE SILICONGAP INTERFACE THROUGH VIAS IN THE OXIDE WILL MINIMIZE BACK OHMIC CONTACT LOSSES. AND FINALLY, THE WIDE BANDGAP, INFRARED TRANSPARENT GAP SUBSTRATE WILL ALLOW LONG WAVELENGTH PHOTONS TO PASS THROUGH THE STRUCTURE WHICH WILL REDUCE THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE. IN ADDITION, SINCE THE ACTIVE DEVICE IS SILICON, DEVICE PROCESSING CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF STANDARD, SPACE-QUALIFIED, SILICON SOLAR CELL FABRICATION PROCEDURES. THE OBJECTIVE OF PHASE I IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE POTENTIAL OF THIS THIN-FILM SILICON SOLAR CELL STRUCTURE BY GROWING THIN EPITAXIAL LAYERS OF SILICON ON AN OXIDE-OVERCOATED GAP SUBSTRATE AND FABRICATING A SOLAR CELL THAT INCORPORATES THE IMPROVED FEATURES."
INTEGRATED GAAS EMITTER FOR OPTICAL INTERCONNECTIONS,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1987,1,40000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,James B. Mcneely,Director,,,,,0,,"THE EFFECT OF SCALING DOWN DEVICE DIMENSIONS OF VLSI STRUCTURES AND THE COMBINATION OF INCREASED CIRCUIT COMPLEXITY DURING THE SCALING PROCESS IS PLACING SEVERE LIMITATIONS ON THE MINIMUM PROPAGATION DELAY OF METALLIC INTERCONNECTS. OPTICAL INTERCONNECTS REMOVE THOSE SPEED LIMITATIONS AND OFFER A DEGREE OF FLEXIBILITY THAT ELECTRICAL INTERCONNECTS COULD NEVER OBTAIN. THE KEY OPPORTUNITY IS TO INTEGRATE GAAS OPTICAL EMITTERS ONTO ADVANCED SILICON VLSI CIRCUITS, AND TO USE THE GAAS AS AN OPTICAL SOURCE TO COMMUNICATE EITHER BY DIRECT OPTICAL INTERACTION WITH SILICON DETECTORS, OR BY HOLOGRAPHIC OR LIGHT-GUIDED TECHNIQUES. ASTROPOWER IS PROPOSING TO DEVELOP A HIGH QUALITY, INTEGRATED GALLIUM ARSENIDE HETEROEPITAXY EMITTER ON THE SILICON VLSI CIRCUIT ELEMENT. SELECTIVE LIQUID-PHASE EPITAXY THROUGH VIAS IN A PASSIVATION LAYER ON THE VLSI WAFER WILL BE USED TO GROW THE GAAS EMITTER DIODE. STRAIN AND DISLOCATIONS IN THE EMITTER DIODE WILL BE MINIMIZED BY CAREFUL CONTROL OF THE NUCLEATION INTERLAYER AND BY REDUCING THE GAAS-SILICON CONTACT AREA TO A SMALL FRACTION OF THE EMITTER AREA. THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE INTEGRATED GAAS OPTICAL EMITTER WILL BE A DRAMATIC STEP FORWARD IN PROGRESS TOWARD OPTICALLY-INTEGRATED CIRCUITS FOR A NEW GENERATION OF ULTRA HIGH SPEED ELECTRONIC DEVICES."
ELECTRONIC GAAS-ON-SILICON MATERIAL FOR ADVANCED HIGH-SPEED OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES,,DOD,MDA,SBIR,1987,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,N/A
DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF URINATION,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1987,2,92000.00,"JONAS, INC.",1113 Faun Road,,Wilmington,DE,19803,No,No,No,,,3024781375,,Otakar Jonas,Consultant,0,,"OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO DEVELOP AN INEXPENSIVE DISPOSABLE UNDERGARMENT DEVICE FOR EARLY AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF URINATION AND TO DESIGN A QUANTITATIVE DEVICE TO BE USED IN CLINICAL RESEARCH AND OTHER APPLICATIONS. THE ELECTRONIC OUTPUT OF THE DETECTOR SYSTEM WILL TRIGGER A SIGNAL TO BE OBSERVED BY THE PERSON WEARING THE GARMENT AND/OR BY OTHERS (NURSE, ETC.). THE DEVICES WILL BE USEFULL AS A RESEARCH TOOL, CLINICAL MONITOR, AND PERSONAL HEALTH CARE ITEMS. IT WILL BE OF A PARTICULAR BENEFIT TO THE ELDERLY WITH SKIN PROBLEMS. DURING PHASE I, UNDERGARMENT MATERIALS (SHIELDS, ABSORBENTS, BARRIERS) SUITABLE FOR USE WITH THE URINATION DETECTION SYSTEM WILL BE SELECTED AND EVALUATED AND THE DETECTOR AND ELECTRONIC SIGNAL TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER WILL BE DESIGNED. SEVERAL PROTOTYPES OF THE UNDERGARMENT DETECTION SYSTEM AND TWO PROTOTYPES OF THE TRANSMITTER-RECEIVER WILL BE BUILD AND LABORATORY TESTED. WITH THIS STEP SUCCESSFULL, A RE-DESIGN OF THE DEVICE FOR QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF THE VOLUME OF URINE WILL BE PERFORMED, FOR THE PROTOTYPE TO BE BUILT IN PHASE II. BOTH DEVICES SHOULD BE EVALUATED ON PATIENTS IN PHASE II, WHEN THE TYPES OF OUTPUT SIGNALS WOULD BE SELECTED TO BEST FIT VARIOUS NEEDS OF MEDICAL RESEARCH AND THE CLINICAL, NURSING AND PERSONAL CARE."
IN-LINE MONITORING OF PARTICULATES IN GAS STREAMS,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1987,2,249000.00,"JONAS, INC.",1113 Faun Road,,Wilmington,DE,19803,No,No,No,,,,,Otakar Jonas,Principal Investigator,3024781375,,"A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND FIELD TESTING OF A NEW PROPRIETARY METHOD CAPABLE OF IN-LINE, REAL-TIME MONITORING OF FLOW OF SOLID AND LIQUID PARTICLES IN GAS STREAM PROPOSED FOR THIS PHASE I PROJECT. THE EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE IN WHICH COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE INSTRUMENTATION IS USED HAS ALREADY BEEN TESTED IN THE LABORATORY AND IN ONE FIELD APPLICATION. THE LABORATORY TESTS DEMONSTRATED THAT FLOW OF SOLID AND LIQUID PARTICLES WEIGHING LESS THAN 0.00001 GRAM CAN BE DETECTED AND THAT THEIR KINETIC ENERGY, MASS, ENERGY AND MASS DISTRIBUTION, AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE MEASURED. ONE INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION OF THE METHOD HAS BEENFIELD TESTED, I.E, DETECTION OF EXFOLIATED OXIDES IN STEAM LINES OF UTILITY BOILER/TURBIN CYCLES. THE TEST WAS SUCCESSFUL IN DETERMINING OPERATING MODES DURING WHICH SOLIDPARTICLE EROSION DAMAGE OF STEAM TURBINE OCCURS. BASED ON THE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AND WORK PERFORMED, WE ARE PROPOSINGTO APPLY THE PARTICLE DETECTION METHOD TO: (1) FLUE GAS MONITORING (TO PREVENT FAN AND FILTER DAMAGE AND MALFUNCTION AND TO MONITOR COMBUSTION AND POLLUTION). (2) TURBINE STEAM MONITORING FOR EXFOLIATED OXIDES (TO PREVENT SOLID PARTICLE EROSION). (3) TURBINE STEAM MONITORING FOR WATER DROPLETS (TO PREVENT WATER INDUCTION). OUR PRELIMINARY WORK GIVES US CONFIDENCE THAT THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS AND THAT THE PROPOSED CAN BE ACHIEVEDAT LOW R&D COST AND WITHIN A SHORT TIME."
HIGH-EFFICIENCY THIN-FILM SILICON-ON-GAP SOLAR CELL FOR IMPROVED RADIATION RESISTANCE,,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1986,1,50000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,J S Culik,,3023660400,,N/A
MONOLITHIC GAAS LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES ON SILICON VLSI CIRCUITS ELEMENTS,,DOD,DARPA,SBIR,1986,1,49999.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B Mcneely,,3023660400,,N/A
"RESEARCH IS PROPOSED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF MAKING A NOVEL NON-METALLIC, DIMENSIONALLY STABLE AND ELECTRICALLY EFFICIENT ANODE FOR USE IN A MEMBRANE ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCE PROCESS FOR TH ELECTRO-OCIDATION OF CHROMIUM III, IN PROCESSLIQUORS, TO",,EPA,EPA,SBIR,1986,1,41001.00,Harper Theil Inc.,32nd St,Miller Rd,Wilmington,DE,19802,No,No,No,Lee W. Anderson,Project Manager,3027648945,,,,0,,"RESEARCH IS PROPOSED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF MAKING A NOVEL NON-METALLIC, DIMENSIONALLY STABLE AND ELECTRICALLY EFFICIENT ANODE FOR USE IN A MEMBRANE ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCE PROCESS FOR TH ELECTRO-OCIDATION OF CHROMIUM III, IN PROCESSLIQUORS, TO USEABLE CHROMIUM VI COMPOUNDS. AN EFFICIENT ECONOMICAL ANODE WOULD MAKE POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIAL USE OF AN ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCESS THAT COULD ELIMINATE ANNUAL PRODUCTION AND DISPOSAL OF SEVERAL MILLION POUNDS OF CHROMIUM III WASTE, THE COST OF WASTE DISPOSAL, AND THE IMPORT OF CHROMIUM, EQUIVALENT TOT HE CHROMIUM III WASTE, FROM RUSSIA AND AFRICA. THE NOVEL NON-METALLIC ANODE COULD MARKEDLY INCREASE THE USE OF ELECTROCHEMISTRY IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHEMICALS, CHEMICAL PROCESSING, AND POLLUTIONCONTROL WITH POTENTIAL REDUCTIONS IN COST OF THE MANUFACTUREAND WASTE TOT HE ENVIRONMENT."
PROSTHESIS,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1986,1,50000.00,Jefferies Associates,715 North Shore Drive,,Milford,DE,19963,No,No,No,,,,,Charles c chen,PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR,3024222161,,"THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE BREAST FOLLOWING ABLATIVE SURGERY HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY FREQUENT SURGICAL PROCEDURE. THEDEVELOPMENT AND USE OF SILICONE GEL AND SALINE-FILLED SILASTIC IMPLANTS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASING FREQUENCY OF THIS PROCEDURE. THICKENING AND CONTRACTURE OF THE FIBROUS CAPSULE SURROUNDING THE SILASTIC IMPLANT, HOWEVER, REMAINS A MAJOR POSTSURGICAL PROBLEM. ANIMAL STUDIES, AS WELL AS HISTOLOGIC EVALUATION OF HUMAN CAPSULE SEGMENTS, HAVE REVEALED THE NATURE OF THIS FIBROPROLIFERATIVE RESPONSE. LEAKAGE OR ""BLEEDING"" OF SILICONE GEL FROM SILASTIC BREAST IMPLANTS APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR CAUSE OF THIS INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE, WHICH ULTIMATELY RESULTS IN A CONSTRICTIVE FIBROSIS SURROUNDING SILICONE-GEL IMPLANTS. THE USE OF LESS REACTIVE FILLING SUBSTANCES MAY OFFER THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CAPSULAR CONTRACTURE. AS SUCH, THIS PROJECT WILL EMPLOY A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF BALLOON-TYPE IMPLANTS WITH A HIGHLY BIOCOMPATIBLE FILLING SUBSTANCE. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT A BREAST PROSTHESIS OF THIS TYPE WILL MINIMIZE THICKENING AND CONTRACTURE OF THE FIBROUS CAPSULE SURROUNDING THE PROSTHESIS."
IN-LINE MONITORING OF PARTICULATES IN GAS STREAMS,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1986,1,49000.00,"JONAS, INC.",1113 Faun Road,,Wilmington,DE,19803,No,No,No,,,,,Otakar Jonas,Principal Investigator,3024781375,,N/A
USE OF ROBOTICS IN AUTOMATIC FACTORY ASSEMBLY,,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1985,2,249568.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,,,Shafi Motiwalla,,4127873000,,"THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF USING A CLUSTER CONTROLLER AND OFF-LINE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM FOR A CLUSTER OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS, PROGRAMMABLE CONTROLLERS AND VISION SYSTEMS IN A FACTORY ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF LOW VOLUME ASSEMBLY. THE FOLLOWING ISSUES WILL BE INVESTIGATED: 1. USE FLEXIBLE TOOLING/GRIPPERS/HANDS FOR ASSEMBLY TASKS USING ROBOT 2. USE OF IEEE 802 AS A NETWORK STANDARD FOR THE INTERCONNECTION OF A CAD SYSTEM TO A NETWORK OF INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS, PROGRAMMABLE CONTROLLERS AND VISION SYSTEMS IN A FACTORY. 3. USE OF THE CAD SYSTEM FOR THE ADDITIONAL PURPOSE OF SIMULATION AND SOLID MODELING OF THE ROBOT AND ITS WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR OFF-LINE PROGRAMMING. SPECIFICALLY, A CAD SYSTEM BASED ON VAX-780 HARDWARE (DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION) AND AMERICAN ROBOT'S MERLIN (TM) ROBOT AND FACTORY PROGRAMMABLE CONTROLLER AND MAGICEYE (TM) VISION SYSTEM WILL BE USED IN THIS INVESTIGATION."
GAASP TOP SOLAR CELLS FOR INCREASED SOLAR CONVERSION EFFICIENCY,,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1985,2,423600.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B. Mcneely,,3023660400,,"GAASP SOLAR CELLS PLACED ON TOP OF CONVENTIONAL SILICON SOLAR CELL ARRAYS CAN INCREASE THE ENERGY CONVERSION EFFICIENCY OF THE SYSTEM AS MUCH AS 100%. ASTROPOWER DIVISION OF ASTROSYSTEMS, INC. PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A HIGH BAND GAP TOP SOLAR CELL FOR ATTACHMENT TO CONVENTIONALS ILICON SOLAR CELLS. TRANSPARENT GAP SUBSTRATES WILL BE USED WITH EPITAXIALLY GROWN LAYERS OF GAASPH HAVING A BAND GAP OF 1.75 TO 2.1 EVAPPROPRIATE FOR MAXIMUM ABSORPTION FOR A TOP CELL WITH A SILICON BASE.THE GAASP SYSTEM HAS LESS MOISTURE AND OXIDATION SENSITIVITY AND IS MORE STABLE FOR ELECTRICAL CONTACTS THAN THE GAALAS ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM. AN ADDITIONAL BENEFIT FOR THE PROGRAM IS THAT THE ASTROPOWER DIVISION SENIOR PERSONNEL HAVE SUBSTANTIAL COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE PREPARATION OF GAASP AND GAP LIGHT EMITTING DIODES AND ARRAYS, AND ARE QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THE GAASP MATERIAL SYSTEMS. THE KEY TECHNICAL TASKS ARE LIQUID PHASE EPITAXY OF THE GAASP LAYERS, AND SYSTEMATIC SOLAR DESIGN AND FABRICATION. VARIOUS APPROACHES TO COMPOSITION GRADING TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECT OF LATTICE MISMATCH WILL BE EXPLORED EXPERIMENTALLY. LOSS MINIMIZATION WILL ALSO BE USED TO OPTIMIZE THE TANDEM DESIGN."
OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS.,,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1985,1,40000.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James b mcneely,DIR MATERIALS DEV,3023660400,,"THE GROWTH OF GAAS ON SILICON HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A DESIRABLE APPROACH FOR ADVANCE OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES INCLUDING OPTICAL INTEGRATED CIRCUITS, OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONBETWEEN CIRCUITS AND AS A SOURCE OF LOW-COST GAAS LAYERS FORSOLAR CELL AND DISPLAY APPLICATIONS. PROGRESS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY STRAINS AND DISLOCATIONS INTRODUCED INTO THE GAAS LAYER BY THE LATTICE MISMATCH BETWEEN THE TWO MATERIALS. WE PROPOSE TO VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE THE DELETERIOUS EFFECT OF THE LATTICE MISMATCH THROUGH THE USE OF A NOVEL STRUCTURE WHICH MINIMIZES THE CONTACT AREA BETWEEN THE GAAS AND THE SILICON.THIS STRUCTURE IS FORMED BY GROWING A SILICON DIOXIDE LAYER ON THE SILICON AND THEN OPENING SMALL HOLES IN THE OXIDE USING PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY. THESE HOLES WILL BE TWO TO FIVE MICRONS IN DIAMETER AND WILL HAVE TWENTY TO FIFTY MICRON SPACING GAAS WILL BE GROWN FROM SATURATED SOLUTIONS. THE HOLES IN THE OXIDE WILL SERVE AS NUCLEATION CENTERS LEADING TO SINGLE CRYSTAL GROWTH. LATERAL OVER-GROWTH OF THE OXIDE CAN BE ENHANCED BY CHOOSING THE PROPER SUBSTRATE ORIENTATION, I.E. . DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN THE SILICONAND THE GAAS WILL BE LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF THE AREA WHICHWILL LIMIT STRAIN AND DISLOCATION PROPAGATION THROUGH THE GROWN GAAS FILM."
HEAT EXCHANGE MATRIX,,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,1985,2,79408.00,Elanco Inc.,10 Albe Drive,,Newark,DE,19702,No,No,No,L e huffman,,3027318500,,,,0,,"HEAT EXCHANGE MATRIX THE FUNCTION OF A HEAT EXCHANGER IS DEPENDENT UPON THE AREA OF EXPOSURE TO THE FLUIDS IN PROCESS. FINS ARE COMMONLY USED TO INCREASE EXTERNAL SURFACE AREAS. TO EXTEND THE INNER SURFACE OF A TUBE OR VESSEL IS MORE DIFFICULT AND THERE IS CURRENTLY NO COST EFFECTIVE METHOD TO DO SO. THIS REDEARCH IS TO DEVELOP THE USE OF A MATRIX COMPOSED OF SMALL, HOLLOW, METAL CYLINDERS, BRAZED TOGETHER AT THEIR CONTACT POINTS AS A HEAT TRANFER MATRIX. ENCAPSULATING THIS MATRIX IN TUBES EXTENDS THE TUBEINNER AREA. THE MATRIX HAS A HIGH AREA/WEIGHT RATIO AND IS RIGID AND LIGHT WEIGHT, AND IS VIRBRATION AND SHOCK RESISTANT. A PRIORITY APPLICATION IS ONE FOR USE WITHIN U.S. ARMY COMBAT TANKS."
JEFFERIES ASSOCIATES WISHES TO APPLY ITS PROPRIETARY STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGY TO THE PROBLEM OF RAPID LIPOSOME UPTAKE BY THE RES.,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1985,1,48500.00,Jefferies Associates,715 North Shore Drive,,Milford,DE,19963,No,No,No,,,,,Steven r. jefferies,PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR,3013233030,,"JEFFERIES ASSOCIATES WISHES TO APPLY ITS PROPRIETARY STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGY TO THE PROBLEM OF RAPID LIPOSOME UPTAKE BY THE RES. WE BELIEVE THAT, WITH PROPER SURFACE MODIFICATION OF THE LIPOSOME MICROCARRIER, UTILIZING SURFACE BINDING OF A SPECIFIC MEMBRANE-BOUND GLYCOPROTEIN, THE CIRCULATORY HALF-LIFE OF INJECTABLE LIPOSOMES CAN BE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. THIS HYPOTHESIS WILL BE TESTED BY IN VITRO MACROPHAGE UPTAKE OF ALTERED LIPOSOMES AND A DIRECT COMPARISON TO CONTROL PHOSPHOLIPID VESICLES."
ICING MONITORING EQUIPMENT,,DOT,DOT,SBIR,1985,2,200828.00,"JONAS, INC.",1113 Faun Road,,Wilmington,DE,19803,No,No,No,,,,,Otakar Jonas,Consultant,0,,"A SIX MONTH PROGRAM TO DEVELOP A RUGGED NEW DEVICE FOR MONITORING THE ONSET OF ICE FORMATION ON SURFACES OF TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES, ROADS, BRIDGES AND AIRCRAFTS, WILL BE DEVELOPED AND A PROTOTYPE WILL BE LABORATORY TESTED. THE NOVEL GAGE AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEM IS PARTLY BASED ON THE TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO MEASURE CONDUCTIVITY OF SOLUTIONS. BASED ON EXISTING TECHNOLOGY, AND ALREADY TESTED UNDER HIGH VELOCITY FLOW CONDITIONS, THE SYSTEM HAS EXCELLENT PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS IN THIS NEW APPLICATION. IT SHOULD ALSO BE USABLE IN OTHER ICING MEASUREMENT APPLICATIONS SUCH AS ON MARINE AND TRANSMISSION STRUCTURES."
CONTROL-,,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1985,1,49762.00,"JONAS, INC.",1113 Faun Road,,Wilmington,DE,19803,No,No,No,,,,,Mr. otakar jonas,PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR,3024781375,,"CORROSION, CONTAMINATION, AND SCALE FORMATION CAUSED BY IMPURITIES IN WATER AND STEAM IN THE NUCLEAR POWER REACTOR CYCLES ARE MAJOR AND COSTLY PROBLEMS OF THE US UTILITY INDUSTRY. CORROSION CRACKING AND DENTING OF THE PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR (PWR) CYCLE STEAM GENERATOR TUBES AND STRESS CORROSION OF THE BOILING WATER REACTOR (BWR) PIPING AND OF TURBINE DISCS ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE CORROSION PROBLEMS. THESE PROBLEMS CAN BE AVOIDED BY PROPER CONTROL OF IMPURITIES AND WATER TREATMENT ADDITIVES (WATER CHEMISTRY). THE KEY REASON FOR THESE PROBLEMS IS A LACK OF PROPER INTER- PRETATION OF CHEMICAL ANALYTICAL DATA AND THEIR COMMUN- ICATION TO OPERATORS. EXPERT KNOWLEDGE IS OFTEN NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INSTRUMENT READINGS AND ANALYTICAL RESULTS, OPERATION, AND INGRESS OF CHEMICAL IMPURITIES. IN THIS PROJECT, NEW COMPUTER- BASED TOOLS SUCH AS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNIQUES WILL BE DEVELOPED, WHICH WILL ASSIST NUCLEAR POWER STATION OPERATORS AND CHEMISTS IN DECISION MAKING AND CONTROL OF WATER CHEMISTRY AND OPERATION. SOFTWARE WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR THE TWO COMMON TYPES OF PWR CYCLES (RECIRCULATING AND ONCE-THROUGH), PRIMARY AND SECONDARY, AND FOR BWRS. WITH ONE EXCEPTION, ALL US UTILITY NUCLEAR CYCLES ARE OF THE PWR AND BWR TYPES. THE SOFT- WARE ALSO WILL DIRECT SAMPLING AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES AND STORE AND PRESENT ANALYTICAL AND RELATED OPERATION DATA. IT WILL BE CAPABLE OF ACCEPTING FEEDBACK AND UPDATING ITS INTERPRETATION PROCESS (LEARN). THE COMPUTER TECHNIQUES AND THE EXPERT KNOWLEDGE OF THE NUCLEAR CYCLES ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE TO THIS PROJECT. WHEN COMPLETED, IT COULD ALLOW EVERY NUCLEAR POWER STATION TO BE OPERATED USING AN EXPERT APPROACH."
USE OF ROBOTICS IN AUTOMATIC FACTORY ASSEMBLY,,DOD,NAVY,SBIR,1984,1,50000.00,"ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES, INC.",ANALYTICAL BIOLOGICAL SERVICES,701-4 CORNELL BUSINESS PARK,WILMINGTON,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,,,Shafi Motiwalla,,4127873000,,N/A
TECHNOLOGY FOR PRESSURE-INSTRUMENTED THIN AIRFOIL MODELS,,NASA,NASA,SBIR,1984,2,491687.00,Applied Cryogenics & Materials,P.o. Box 765,,New Castle,DE,19720,No,No,No,,,,,David A. Wigley,,,,"PRESSURE INSTRUMENTED AIRFOIL MODELS FOR TESTING IN CRYOGENIC WIND TUNNELS DEMAND THE SIMULTANEOUS ACHIEVEMENT OF MANY FACTORS INCLUDING STRENGTH, TOUGHNESS, DIMENSIONAL STABILITY, MACHINABILITY, BONDABILITY, ACCURACY OF PROFILE AND SURFACE FINISH. MANY PREVIOUS MODELS HAVE FAILED TO REACH COMPLETION OR HAVE PERFORMED INADEQUATELY BECAUSE ACHIEVEMENT OF SOME FACTORS HAS CRITICALLY COMPROMISED OTHERS, PARTICULARLY SO FOR RELATIVELY THIN AIRFOLLS, I.E., THOSE WITH MAXIMUM THICKNESS LESS THAN ABOUT 6% OF CHORD. HOWEVER, THEIR IS A SOLID BASIS FOR BELIEVING THAT NECESSARY TECHNOLOGIES TO BUILD THIN AIRFOIL MODELS ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE, OR ARE IN ADVANCED STATE OF DEVELOPMENT, IN THE USA. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO PROVE THE VALIDITY OF THIS BELIEF BY IDENTIFYING THE REQUIRED MATERIALS AND FABRICATION TECHNOLOGIES AND TO DEVELOP A CO-ORDINATED AND PHASED PROGRAM CULMINATING IN THE FABRICATION OF AN ADEQUATELY PRESSURE INSTRUMENTED THIN AIRFOIL MODEL FOR TESTING. CAREFUL ATTENTION IS PAID TO ENSURING THE DIMENSIONAL STABILITY OF THE BASE MATERIAL, POSSIBLY BY USING STREE-FREE MACHINING TECHNIQUES, THE STRENGTH AND TOUGHNESS OF ANY BONDS AND THE DEFINITION OF THE ORIFICES AND PASSAGES NEEDED FOR PRESSURE INSTRUMENTATION. SPECIFICALLY INCLUDED WITHIN PROGRAM IS THE PROVISION OF PRESSURE ORIFICES IN THE THIN TRAILING EDGE AT LOCATIONS FROM 80 TO 100 PERRCENT OF CHORD."
GAASP TOP SOLAR CELLS FOR INCREASED SOLAR CONVERSION EFFICIENCY,,DOD,USAF,SBIR,1984,1,49999.00,"ASTROPOWER, INC.",Solar Park,,Newark,DE,19716,No,No,No,,,,,James B. Mcneely,,3023660400,,N/A
HEAT EXCHANGE MATRIX,,DOD,ARMY,SBIR,1984,1,50000.00,Elanco Inc.,10 Albe Drive,,Newark,DE,19702,No,No,No,L e huffman,,3027318500,,,,0,,N/A
"PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF 2,2', 4,4'-TETRAHYDROXY- BENZOPHENONE.",,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1984,2,419188.00,Helix Associates Inc.,P.o. Box 4694,,Newark,DE,19715,No,No,No,,,,,Walter Z. Heldt,,,,"A ONE STEP SYNTHESIS OF THE ABOVE COMPOUND FROM COMMERCIALLYAVAILABLE RESORCINOL AND RESORCYLIC ACID WILL BE INVESTIGATED USING HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, BORON TRIFLUORIDE, NAFION(R) RESINS, AND OTHER STRONG LEWIS ACIDS AS CATALYSTS.YIELDS WILL BE OPTIMIZED FOR THE PREFERRED SYSTEMS. A COST EFFECTIVE PURIFICATION TO A PRODUCT USUABLE IN THIN FILM SOLAR APPLICATION WILL BE WORKED OUT."
DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC DETECTION OF URINATION,,HHS,HHS,SBIR,1984,1,48185.00,"JONAS, INC.",1113 Faun Road,,Wilmington,DE,19803,No,No,No,,,3024781375,,Otakar Jonas,Consultant,0,,N/A
ICING MONITORING EQUIPMENT,,DOT,DOT,SBIR,1984,1,49993.00,"JONAS, INC.",1113 Faun Road,,Wilmington,DE,19803,No,No,No,,,,,Otakar Jonas,Consultant,0,,N/A
GROWTH OF JUVENILE SURF CLAMS (SPISULA SOLIDISSIMA),,NSF,NSF,SBIR,1984,1,31000.00,Mercenaria Manufacturing,Rd 1 Box 293 B,,Millsboro,DE,19966,No,No,No,,,,,John d. monte,SECRETARY,0,,"INCREASED DEMAND FOR LIVE AND PROCESSED CLAMS HAS BEEN ACCOMPAINED BY A DECREASED SUPPLY OF WILD CLAMS. THE SURF CLAM (SPISULA SOLIDISSMA) WAS UTILIZED EXTENSIVELY FOR PROCESSED CLAM PRODUCTS UNTIL OVERFISHING REDUCED THE SURF CLAM POPULATIONS AND HARVESTS. RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT SURF CLAMS CAN BE PRODUCED IN LAND-BASED CULTURE SYSTEMS IN ONE GROWING SEASON, FOR USE IN MARKETS CURRENTLY SUPPLIED BY SLOWER GROWING HARD OR SOFT-SHELL CLAMS. INEXPENSIVE SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDS IMPROVE THE PREDICTED PROFITABILITY OF HARD CLAM AND OYSTER SEED PRODUCTION, BY INCREASING GROWTH RATES. IT IS PROPOSED THAT SUPPLMENTAL FEEDS BE DEVELOPED FOR JUVENILE SURF CLAMS, TO LOWER THE THE COST AND DECREASE THE TIME REQUIRED TO PRODUCE SEED SURFCLAMS FOR INNOVATIVE GROW-OUT SYSTEMS. SUCCES OF THIS PROJECT WOULD ALLOW DEVELPMENT OF A NEW SOURCE OF SURF CLAMS FOR THE LIVE AND PROCESSED CLAM MARKETS, AND WOULD DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF USING NON-ALGAL SUPPLEMENTS IN SURF CLAM DIETS. ADDITIONALLY, THE FEED AND METHODS DEVELOPED IN THIS PROJECT COULD ACCELERATE THE GROWTH OF JUVENILES OF OTHER BIVALVE SPECIES."
TECHNOLOGY FOR PRESSURE-INSTRUMENTED THIN AIRFOIL MODELS,,NASA,NASA,SBIR,1983,1,48000.00,Applied Cryogenics & Materials,P.o. Box 765,,New Castle,DE,19720,No,No,No,,,,,David A. Wigley,,,,N/A
"PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF 2,2', 4,4'-TETRAHYDROXY- BENZOPHENONE.",,DOE,DOE,SBIR,1983,1,45000.00,Helix Associates Inc.,P.o. Box 4694,,Newark,DE,19715,No,No,No,,,,,Walter Z. Heldt,,,,N/A
THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO INVESTIGATE HEAT TRANSFER PROBLEMS IN THE DESIGN OF A SYSTEM TO PROTECT CITRUS TREES FROM RADIATION FROST.,,USDA,USDA,SBIR,1983,1,35000.00,Thermal Reeds,108 W 13th Street,,Wilmington,DE,19801,No,No,No,,,,,Herman e. lagow,PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR,,,THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO INVESTIGATE HEAT TRANSFER PROBLEMS IN THE DESIGN OF A SYSTEM TO PROTECT CITRUS TREES FROM RADIATION FROST. THE PROPOSED THERMAL REEDS WILL EXTRACT STORED SOLAR HEAT FROM THE SOIL FOR RELEASE UNDER THE TREE-CANOPY. PROVIDING 100 WATTS WILL REDUCE COOLING RATES OF A 12-FOOT DIAMETER TREE SO THAT IT WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 2 C WARMER AT SUNRISE. DATA TO BE OBTAINED WILL ALLOW SIZING OF THE THERMAL REED FOR EXTRACTING THE HEAT FROM THE SOIL AND RADIATING AND CONVECTING THE HEAT INTO THE TREE.